Piercing Heavens
by This is the real deal
Summary: Over 400 years after the fall of Galbatorix, a new generation of riders is born. But of course, the peace is disturbed as an enigmatic and greedy young pirate stumbles upon a dragon egg! He is suddenly thrust into the world of magic, but these are grave times, as there is a new 'mechanical' threat with more force than even the dragons themselves, and all is at stake...
1. It starts here! Remember this day

**This is ****SPIRIT! ****Goal: become a world renowned author! Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance cycle. Christopher Paolini does. I own OC characters, the plot, you know. Anything I don't own will be added in a renewed version of the disclaimer. Either way:**

**This is the Real Deal presents:**

**Piercing Heavens!**

**Chapter 1: Remember this day!**

"Furl the sails! Lower the anchors! Get yourselves armed and prepare for battle!" the terse shout of the captain rang out through the air. An army of stamping boots hammered the deck as the crew scurried around on various assignments. Whether it was fixing the ship and lowering the anchor, or grabbing weapons off the main mast and out of the armoury. Two thin measly looking men with faces twisted into snarls pulled out daggers and guns from their belts and leaped over the side of the ship onto dry land. The rest of the crew soon poured out after them, all waving weapons of all kinds in the air. A teenage boy with dark skin leapt over the side of the ship, holding a flintlock pistol and having a dagger strapped to his waist.

He was dressed in a blue and white stripped shirt with frayed edges and rips all over it. He had a pair of blue shorts that were barely holding together. A golden belt with a dragon head buckle held his dagger and an old flintlock pistol that was hardly user friendly. His short hair was obscured by a blue rain soaked bandana.

He charged in with the rest of the pirates, charging blindly into the burning town they had just attacked. It was way too hard just trying to get in. Teirm was known for being raided by pirates, and the defences were extra intense this time. This was something the Captain had been planning for a while now. They'd heard rumours that a dragon rider had visited recently and left a huge treasure there as a gift. The Captain wanted that treasure. He'd gone through the trouble of building a whole Pirate fleet to attack the town and after way too many bar brawls, he'd done it. With a fleet of ten ships strong, they'd bombarded Teirm. They, and one other ship, were the only ones that made it to land. Now they just had to raid the city and find the treasure.

The dark skinned boy joined up with the rest of the group, waving his jewel encrusted dagger wildly everywhere as the frenzy of the hunt overtook him. Lines of soldiers barred their way, pulling out swords to prepare for the attack. Archers lined the rooftops, all of them equipped with crossbows. The boy swore under his breath.

_More crossbows... What happened to good old bow and arrows?_

Pirates fell left, right and centre under the hail of bolts, but were just replaced by more pirates who hacked away at the guards. An archer toppled over forward off of the slanted roof, clutching his chest in pain as his clothes became soaked in blood. Rows of them were blasted off by the guns barraging them. The boy looked to his left to see the Captain in his full red admiral's cloak, giving out orders to the crew as if he was a military commander. They were no ordinary pirates. But maybe it was because they had no ordinary captain. They were organised in proper rank, firing all projectiles in volleys clearing space for the melee troops to charge in. They flooded into the burning streets, shoving their way past all the shattered debris that was caused by their cannons. The dark skinned boy slunk around all the main fighting, creeping to right behind a soldier. Before the guard had any time to react, he brought his knife up to his throat, slitting it instantly without remorse. Blood gushed out of the wound as the soldier collapsed, clutching his neck. The boy slunk away from the dead soldier before he could get caught and ran deeper into the city. His orders were simple: run. He wasn't much of a fighter so he couldn't battle by the Captain's side. He could never battle with the captain. In fact, this was only the third time he was allowed to fight on land. He was just a swabbie. Nothing more. The boy thought back to how he'd ended up on a Pirate ship anyway.

"Focus boy! Quit your daydreaming and fight!"

The boy wheeled around, brining his dagger up to cover his face. Not fast enough, he received a haymaker punch, knocking him to the ground. Rubbing his swollen cheek and spitting out a glob of blood, he looked up to see a muscled pirate, tapping his foot in impatience. "How'll ya find any treasure when you aren't even focused? Hop to it ya landlubber before I have to use my cutlass on ya!"

The boy nodded his head, glaring at the person who was meant to be his teammate.

"Alright, alright! I'm going, just leave me alone! It's not like I did anything..."

"That's exactly why I gave ya a thick ear!'Cause you never do anything! We're all fighting with all our 'earts and 'ere ya are running around like some kinda thief!"

"Aren't we thieves..."

"NO! A pirate is a brave warrior of the sea, who just so happens to make a livin' stealin' from those who deserve it. You are a thief! Just hidin' in the back alleys where none can find ya. Now begone with ya! Don't make me come after ya!"

The boy scrambled up and ran off deeper into the streets, leaving the sounds of fighting far behind him.

Once he was a safe distance away, he slowed down to a casual walk. All of the doors around him were shut, likely with quivering terrified individuals and families. He was certain he heard a child whimper in an alleyway, just to be hushed by his or her mother. Ignoring it, he kept walking, looking around at what little there was to look at.

_Man, always such a pain that guy... It's like he just wants me to get killed, isn't it? Whatever. I'll just do my own thing as usual. Loot a house or two. Maybe I can find some rich guy's place and jack what I need from him!_

Sure enough, a seemingly wealthy man's building was standing tall, guarded by two other stores with expensive looking jewellery. He looked left and right to make sure the coast was clear, and then snuck through the town square to the front door. Pulling out a thin wire lock pick, he began poking it through the keyhole, hoping to gain some kind of advantage over the lock. He felt some slight resistance with his pick.

"Yes!" he whispered under his breath. A little too forcefully, he twisted the pick. He heard a sharp snapping noise as he pulled the pick out of the lock. He swore under his breath again as he saw the pick was snapped. Not even bothering with a second try with a new pick, he took out his dagger and put it in the slit between the door and the wall. He cut straight down with it repeatedly until he heard the lock crack. Thinking he was clear, he opened the door. He looked around inside the hallway to make sure nobody had spotted him. Clear. The boy had to admit, the owner of this house had some serious taste.

The hallway alone was lavished with attention. There wasn't a single crease in the gold and red carpet. Just that carpet was probably worth more than their whole ship, with jewels encrusted every ten centimetres. There were beautifully painted works of art lining the whole wall, with one picture bearing a portrait of an indescribably beautiful lady. Her eyes seemed to follow the boy wherever he walked. A long shelf lined the whole side of the wall in front of the teenager, with silver vases and golden crockery. Candles made of a deep blue wax lined the walls, but they appeared to be rarely used. The boy guessed the owners were rarely at home.

He crept along the hallway into the dining room which was equally as decorated. Pulling a rucksack off of his shoulder, he began stuffing everything in sight into his bag. A silver chalice was briefly admired, and then planted back down on the table as he figured the golden one looked better. He moved on to the living room, doing the same there. Then he visited the kitchen. Then the washroom. Then a bedroom, which probably had the most valuable items such as golden rings and a stringed instrument like a lute or mandolin. He strapped the instrument around his shoulder as it wouldn't fit in his already bulging bag. Gently closing the door to the bedroom, he made his way out of the house, whistling as he walked through the cleaned out hallway. Whistling a merry tune, he glanced back at the door of the bedroom, admiring his handiwork. Something glittered in the corner of his eye. His brow creased as he turned to the direction of the glint. Poking out of the carpet in front of the bedroom door was a semicircular golden hoop. Curious, he walked over to the carpet and lifted it. A gleam lit his eyes as he realised he had just hit the jackpot. He yanked the carpet off to reveal a trapdoor with a big brass handle. Thinking it was just his luck, he opened it, coughing and spluttering as the dust sprayed into his face. He peered into the dark basement, hungry for treasure. He could almost taste the cold metallic gold. Without even waiting if it was safe, he climbed down the stairs.

Looking around, all he could see was a damp, cold abandoned wine cellar with no future. Kegs of wine were lined up in rows along the room, covered with cobwebs. Spiders crawled over them, glaring with venom at the intruder. How the spiders even survived under the ground, he couldn't tell. The deeper inside he went, the more he began to lose hope. Looking around, he glimpsed a solitary black treasure chest at the far corner of the room. With all of his hope evaporated, he opened it just for the sake of opening it. With the low light he had to squint to get a good look at it. A polished rock was lying at the bottom, wrapped in blankets. Shrugging his shoulders, he picked it up. Surprisingly, it felt lighter than he thought it would be.

"This is some weird rock," he said to himself as he took out his dagger. He lightly tapped it to check why it was so light. As he thought, a clear note rang out, vibrating and echoing through the cellar. Holding it up to the light from the still open basement door, he examined it carefully. It looked like it was an emerald green with paler veins running through it. There was some kind of pattern on it but he couldn't quite make it out. Shrugging his shoulders, he stuffed the egg into his backpack and walked off. He wasn't even sure if he would bother visit the jewellery store. He already got loads of pearl necklaces from the bedroom. As he exited the house, he examined the green flowing patterns in the sunlight. The pale green veins flowed through the rock like a river, winding all around it. The pattern he could see etched on it looked suspiciously like a dragon's head. Taking a wild guess, he assumed that it was some elf artefact. Probably something the dragon rider left behind. He was reassured of this when he felt some kind of pulsing underneath his fingers. It didn't seem strange to him. Pirates see the oddest things all the time. He pocketed the stone again and trudged off to rejoin the Captain. By now they had probably raided the whole city. They would be returning to the ship soon.

A low whistling sound pierced the air. Before could react, a thin line streamed through the air right past his cheek, barely avoiding his head. The feathers of the arrow cut against his face, leaving a thin line of blood where it had passed. The arrow clattered harmlessly on the ground. The boy cursed under his breath as he wheeled around to see an archer with a bow on the roof.

_Darn it! If that guy was any better, he could've killed me with that!_

The archer shouted for backup behind him. Not even waiting to see who would come, the boy shot of like an arrow being fired as far away from the archer as he could. Before he could run ten steps, more troops with swords all streamed out from alleyways, trying to stab and hack at him. Barely avoiding multiple stabs at his head and gut, he weaved between them and kept running to the ship. After an eternity of desperate running and near death encounters, he finally arrived at the harbour with the boat just hundred metres ahead of him. A soldier with a broadsword stepped in front of him.

"I don't have the time for this!" he screamed as he parried the swinging sword with his dagger. Before the soldier could counterattack, he plunged the point of the blade deep in his chest. While yanking the blade out, he twirled around pulling his gun out of his belt, blasting the chasing troops with a spread of buckshot bullets. The recoil from the gun felt like it would rip his whole shoulder off but by now he was used to the shock of the gun. All the soldiers fell back with blood spraying from their chests. He shuddered as he thought of how close he had come to ending up like that on multiple occasions. As he heard more people shouting he ran ahead to the ship. Not even thinking of the consequences, he leaped across the two metre gap separating the pier from the ship. He launched across, barely grabbing onto the side of the ship. He pulled himself over the boat and collapsed on the deck, huffing and puffing. Barely given five seconds to rest, a hail of arrows bombarded him, one landing just a bit too close to his crotch. He picked himself back up to see an army of troops all aiming crossbows at the ship. A whole line of cannons were all lined up to face the ship with troops lined behind them.

"Come on, where's the rest of the crew!" he said eager to leave before all the cannons could fire. He scanned the burning town for his crew. He saw signs of movement over to his right. About three quarters of the crew where returning to the ship with massive sacks of gold and treasure chests. Most of them where still fighting, throwing bottles of brandy and lighting them to burn the rest of the town. They wouldn't normally be able to return safely without destroying the whole navy fleet nearby. Small pockets of pirates were at the harbour sinking ships and setting them on fire. He glanced back at the canons nervously. This wasn't going according to plan. They should have blown up all of the cannons already. There were no cannons in that part of the city on the map or from any of the Intel they had gathered from the bars. If the Captain didn't hurry, the whole ship would be blown to pieces! And if that happened…

"Yo Captain! Captain!"

The Captain looked to the ship as he heard the voice of his swabbie. The boy pointed towards the cannons that looked nearly completed. The Captain stared at the cannons, swore, and charged towards the ship ordering his men to abort the operation.

"Unfurl the sails swabbie! Lower the gangplank! And whatever you do, don't pull up the anchor until we're all inside!"

Carrying out the chores given, he kept glancing at the cannons. The neighbour ship they had was just about to set off. Suddenly, all the cannons fired, sounding like a drum roll of thunder shattering the air. All the cannonballs flew through the air, curving over their own ship to the neighbours. His heart dropped as he saw every single cannonball strike true, instantly splitting the whole ship in half. If those were to hit the ship, he would be finished. There was no way that he was going to wait a second longer. He leaned over the edge of the ship to see the crew still at least three hundred metres away.

"Hurry up Captain! I'm raising the anchor!"

The Captain turned up to face him soon as he finished ordering his troops to shut down the cannons.

"You're not doing anything! Don't you dare to leave us behind!"

The kid ran over to the anchor and tried pulling it up. No results. Looking towards the main mast, he saw a cutlass strapped to the main mast and grabbed it running back to the anchor, he raised his sword to cut the rope. Looking up again at the Captain he desperately called out one more time.

"Hurry up Captain!"

"Don't cut it!"

He hesitated to cut.

_Think about this. This is the man who I have respected as our leader for years! I couldn't abandon him! But more importantly, this is the same man who stole the last four years of my life in that fateful incident. The only reason I can respect him is because of everything we've been through. I was still taken from my home forcefully, and forced to work almost as a slave! But the most important reason of all to leave him, if I wait any longer, __**I will die!**_

Resolved, he slashed the anchor rope, dropping the anchor into the sea. No more bending to anyone's will, no more listening to the Captain. Now he was his own man. Whether the Captain would escape, was another matter.

"Stop you thieving little wretch! Get back here with my ship you son of a…"

Whatever else was said was lost in the wind. He caught something rather odd but ignored it. The sails completely unfurled, catching the wind like gigantic white wings, gliding across the sea like a swan. The cannons were being reloaded still and probably wouldn't be able to shoot for a while with how outdated they were. It would have been enough time if he had waited but like this, he was safe. Feeling the call of the sea and the blood boiling through his veins, he set tied the wheel to the sides of the boat with what was left of the anchor rope so it wouldn't move too much. He turned to face the coast again.

"Remember my name as my career as a pirate begins today! Remember this as the day you _nearly _caught Captain Dante of the crashing waves!

**I hope you enjoyed it! This looks like it will be one of my most fun fics to write! Don't worry about me suddenly dropping this, this is guaranteed to be continued! Please Review as it motivates people, I won't stop on Chapter one or anything.**


	2. NEVER go down with the ship

**Right! Chapter 2! Don't forget to review. Constructive criticism would be helpful but I probably won't mind if it's not. And one change, the main character's name has been changed from Ryu to Dante. Well... yeah that's about it. Please review!**

**This is the real deal presents:**

**Fighting Spirit!**

**Chapter 2: ****Never go down with the ship**

Dante looked Starboard over the edge of the ship, staring out at the endless nothing of the sea. The salty air stung inside his cuts. He looked back at the small dot that was the city. The flames looked like they'd died down but he could hardly tell. The Captain was probably having a hard time escaping too. If there was one thing he knew, it was that marines were persistent. Though not persistent enough to chase a fourteen year old kid on his own when their towns are damaged. He gave one last salute to the crew he had known for the last four to five years of his life. It didn't feel that long ago when he got taken captive…

_No time to think about that now. The question is, how can I steer this thing on my own?_

He marched below decks to see what supplies he had left. Crates of food were stacked up on top of each other, some of them toppled over on the floor from the rocking of the ship after the battle. Barrels filled with wine and brandy rolled over on the floor, one nearly crushing his toes. When on his own, the whole ship just felt so empty. He could almost hear the boisterous laughter of the drunken crew like ghosts, as they stomped down to get more brandy. It felt too empty. The pantry was filled though.

_Eh, I guess I do kinda miss em, though not much._

Shaking off the loss, he grabbed a rock hard biscuit and sat down in the corner. He pulled his rucksack off and pulled out the treasure. It was tiny compared to what they could've gotten but Teirm obviously was the wrong choice to raid. He'd heard that back in the day, a pirate could come with no less than two ships and sweep Teirm clean of everything. Of course, all that changed when first Galbatorix sent a group of spell casters there to end everything. This was probably because the raids were interfering with his trade. Then once the King was dethroned, it was even worse as riders began checking up on the place.

He rummaged through the rest of the stuff. While fancy looking, he doubted he could live off the cash for more than a month or so. He was just about to stow the treasure away in a large chest when that stone caught his eyes again. Curious, he emptied everything else out into the chest, but kept the stone. He stared at it for a while, wondering how it was even made. He didn't really understand magic, but he knew that it must have been worth something if somebody would make such weird patterns. He took out his knife again and lightly tapped it. Yet again, a clear C note rang out through the ship. He thought he heard a high pitched squeak come from the egg.

_Whatever man… I'm tired. What am I even gonna do now that I'm free of those dudes? I could become the best pirate ever! I know enough about it by now. I'll follow the Captain's example and everything. The seas won't know what hit em! Or I could try to find my home again. Although I doubt they'll wanna accept a bloodthirsty murderer like me ever again. Hmm… Ah whatever! I can't worry about that stuff now! I'll just do my own thing for now. I know all the marine routes so they can't catch me! First stop, wherever the wind blows!_

Decided, he ripped up part of his shirt and wrapped it around the stone. If anything would get him rich, it would be that. He stuffed it inside the treasure chest, then thinking otherwise, he pulled it out and dipped it inside the barrel of wine. He left it there to keep it hidden. Nobody would look for treasure inside a barrel of wine. His only worry would be if they took the whole barrel. In that case he would have to 'intervene'. He marched up to the helm and untied the ropes. Grasping it, he steered it along the coast.

For four weeks after that, he travelled south staying close to the coast, although generally he wouldn't move much because of how hard it was to steer and maintain. The masts were barely attached to the ship by the end of everything. Everyday he would dock in a sandbank and walk out to get some fresh fruits. Occasionally he would hunt for meat but he rarely got anything. He would stock up on fresh water and then walk back. As soon as he arrived on the ship he would tie up all the little ingenious assortments of pulleys and ropes that kept the ship alive, repair the masts, fix the sails and sharpen his blade. Anything really. Generally if he finished before the sun had set he would go above decks and stare out at the sunset in a fold up chair reserved for the captain. He would take a glass of fruit juice, avoiding the wine, and imagine scenarios of him winning major battles at sea and at land. As soon as all the stars came out, he would fold up the chair and walk silently down to the Captain's cabin and sleep, still dreaming of all the things he could do.

Like any other night, he was staring up at the sky just as the stars were coming out. He put his hand up against the night sky, looking as if he was trying to grab a star.

"If I try hard enough, can I fly high enough? Can I become as famous as them?"

The sea underneath him exploded, rocking the whole boat and almost tipping Dante out. He rolled over off of his chair, smashing onto the unforgiving wooden floorboards, splintering them in the process. Ignoring his bleeding forehead, he picked himself up off the floor and stared out to the sea. A massive sea fortress of a ship was tearing through the water with half of its cannons facing him. Dante couldn't even tell what kind of ship it was, but it was at 3rd rate at most. That meant it would have seventy guns on it. That was way too many for an ordinary Pirates, of which there were likely one hundred of them. Dante compared it to his own Brigantine which wasn't even 6th rate with only sixteen guns. How it had survived Teirm was a mystery only the Captain knew. He could just make out the Jolly Roger flying on the topmast, depicting a bleeding heart with two swords going through it.

The ship turned, with the wooden boards creaking under the strain of hauling itself through the water. The cannons all fired again. Swearing out loud, Dante dived under the chair as everything around him rocked and turned and tore to pieces.

_Those guys have way too many cannons. If they weren't trying to raid me, I'd be dead already!_

The main mast toppled over with holes going through the sail. The whole ship nearly capsized as the mast crashed onto the decks, then slid off into the sea. The splintered wood was flying everywhere, barely giving Dante time to stand up as the whole ship lurched back upright. He stood back upright, barely able to stand as a thick piece of wood smashed into his head. Double vision entered his eyes as suddenly everything seemed to have a twin. Dazed, he tottered below decks before more cannon fire could wreck the ship even more. He leaned against the walls as he tried to regain his balance. Suddenly the floor rushed back up to meet him as the ship rocked again from another barrage. This wouldn't be happening if the Captain was still here. They'd be able to outrun them any day. Or maybe they would raid there ship and steal it from them. That would show them. Of course, the Captain wasn't there. It was just him. Karma has a way of getting payback. He so loved to watch Karma get at others, but hated it himself. Well it was to be expected. The ship rocked one more time, more violently now, but without the usual sound of splintering wood or the sight of smashed floorboards. As suddenly as the attack itself, the violent rocking stopped.

Dante looked around. No more cannonballs were flying into cabins. It was silent. He thought he heard the scuffling of feet. He let out a deep breath.

_So they've boarded the ship… I can fight on land but at sea I'm as helpless as a butterfly in a tempest. Well at least now I stand a chance._

He ran into the pantry again and looked around for somewhere to hide. He moved a stack of barrels to the side hoping to hide there just long enough that he could jump the people who would enter to steal it. There's always about three people going to steal the wine. Just as soon as he was hidden by the barrels, the door was booted in. Three burly looking men, probably in their late twenties with one over forty, stepped inside.

"… don't get it. This place is completely empty of anybody. There are still a few signs of life here. A spilt mug of brandy, a fishing net still filled with fish as if somebody had been, well, fishing. It's like the crew just upped and left."

"You're still new to this. Weird stuff happen all the time on the high seas."

"Yeah but, it feels like the whole crew here became ghosts or something. What if that happened to us?"

"Ghosts my backside, nothing's gonna happen to us on a pathetic little ship like this."

"But you said weird stuff happen…"

"Shut up ok? You don't know what you're talking about. Leave it to the veterans"

"But you've been here just as long as I have."

"Oi, I've had it with you!"

The third pirate who had been silent till now spoke up, likely the leader from the power in his voice.

"Quit yer keelhauling and get ta work! The Capt'n wants his brandy and he's not getting it from you dead-weights. So make yourself useful and help me out here."

Grudgingly, they picked up a barrel together and began carrying it back. The veteran shook his head as they left and grabbed the barrel hiding Dante. Dante brought up his dagger, not risking his gun here in case it misfired. The barrel shifted and finally moved out of place. Not giving the pirate any time to notice him, Dante leaped out of the tiny space he was curled up in, bringing his dagger deep into the man's chest. The man screamed out in pain as he toppled over backwards and collapsed. Still breathing, he kicked Dante off of him. Dante twisted awkwardly as he tried getting back up before meeting a fist straight in his face. He got knocked to the ground again, sprawled on the floor as he registered the shock of the punch. The man straightened himself up with a considerable effort.

"You son of a… look what you did to me!"

A red dot began to spread all along the centre of his shirt. Dante picked himself up as he realised he had missed his heart. Steeling himself for a fight, he grabbed his dagger even tighter as the other pirate yanked out a cutlass. They both ran to each other, clashing blades. As expected, Dante flew backwards and slammed into the wall. "Ha! A little kid like you can't hope to beat me! Let me show you what reality is kid, heroes always die!"

He lurched forward swinging his sword down to crush Dante's head. Dante rolled away, the blade just whistling past his ear. He controlled himself at the last second and launched back again, holding the dagger in a reverse grip for stabbing. He thrust the blade forward, just to have it deflected by the side of the enemy's blade. The pirate parried two more blows before swinging hard and fast at the Dante's neck. Dante ducked underneath the blade and seeing an opening, plunged the dagger into the side of his stomach. The man howled in pain and before he could counter, Dante yanked the blade out and jumped behind him, plunging the dagger into the side of his neck. The man grasped his neck in shock, unable to say anything before he collapsed onto the ground, dead. Dante took off his bandana and wiped the dagger of the blood, avoiding looking at the dead man before him. No matter how many times he did that, he'd never get used to the feeling of a life slipping through his fingers.

Shaking off his revulsion, he ran over to the barrel where the stone was kept. For some reason, he felt that he had to keep that stone safe. He opened it and dipped his hand inside the wine. After feeling the smooth rock, he pulled it out. The white veins seemed to have turned slightly red as if dyed by blood. Obviously it was wine, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy at the sight. He grabbed his rucksack and stuffed it inside. He also grabbed the lute and a bottle of beer and ran out of the room before anybody could come to investigate the noise. As soon as he opened the door, a group of pirates smashed into him, toppling them all over on the floor. Dante got up first leaving them behind as he scrambled out of the room and away from the shouts of anger.

The ship was more overrun than he thought. Pirates streamed out of all the rooms, wielding rusty cutlasses and old guns. Dante weaved through them all causing confusion wherever he went. Shots were fired, but soon stopped as they realised they were just shooting each other. Four pirates blocked the way to the top deck.

"I don't have time for this!" Dante screamed as he brought out his pistol. He fired, his whole body shaking from the recoil as he almost fell over himself. All four of the men fell over from a spray of bullets, their chests completely ruined. Dante stepped over them, running even faster. On deck, the enemy pirates were just about to leave when they saw him. Everybody who hadn't stayed on their ship rushed to grab their weapons, pointing them at Dante accusingly. "No way am I dying here…" he said to himself as he looked for some kind of escape. He spotted a crate filled with gunpowder being carried by ropes up to the other ship. Decided, he aimed at the crate. He would only have one shot at this. After that, by the time he could reload or jump off the ship, he would be shot already. He flung the bottle of beer at the gunpowder. The bottle shattered, spraying all over the crate. A pirate shouted down at him.

"What was that for?" he asked enraged not at the boy's bad aim, but at the fact that an assassination attempt at him hadn't been taken seriously.

"Just to make sure," Dante shouted back with a half smile. He fired. The whole crate exploded in flames just as it was lowered onto the deck. Everybody on the ship screamed, panic spreading through their ranks. Dante turned around and dived into the sea while they were still panicking about the fire. Nobody would miss him if he planned that move correctly. He swam to the coast, pulling himself up on the shore gasping for air. He turned around to see the whole ship beginning to erupt in flames. He forced his aching muscles to move again as he jogged away. Nobody paid him any attention as they were all busy trying to put out the fire that was now spreading to the smaller ship. That would be the last time he ever saw that ship again. Dante exhaled a deep breath as he said goodbye and walked off.

"One day, I'll be so strong that guys like that won't be able to hurt me! I won't let myself be tied down just because I grew up like this. I'll carve my own destiny, and fate won't be allowed to choose!"

On that, Dante turned away from the ship and walked off to the mountains in the distance. Nobody would find him with how dark it was so maybe he could find a town somewhere. Maybe Kuasta. He pulled out his rucksack. Now there were only a few necklaces, a pair of gloves, and the stone. Everything he'd stolen was now going to sink to the sea. Maybe one day, he'd go back to the wreckage and get it. For now, all he had to do make it.

After an hour of trekking through the flatland, Dante made it to the base of the mountains. He hesitated for a moment as he remembered his geography lessons. This was none other than the Spine mountain range. It was rumoured that strange magical happenings occur inside the Spine and next to Du Weldenvarden and Vroengard, it had the highest concentrations of wild magic in Alagaesia. Taking a deep breath in, he marched through valley watched over by two looming mountains. Everywhere seemed to get even darker as the trees and mountains blotted out the sun. The cool night air felt like ghost's fingers lightly brushing against his skin with the wind. The pines scent in the air carried other odd smells he couldn't quite make out, but that seemed to excite him. It was like all the blood in his body was flowing with an untapped energy. The sensation was both amazing and terrifying. He looked at his hands to make sure he wasn't becoming some monster. He wondered how people hunted here everyday. There were many islands like this on the sea, but when he was away from the ship and his crew, he felt even more uneasy.

Climbing over rocks and large roots, he clumsily tripped over them not used to going through mountain paths. After thirty minutes of scraping his knees, he finally gave entirely and sat down on a rock thinking of what to do.

"Tired of this… I'm going to sleep."

Unsure of what to do, he looked around for a large leaf or something he could use like a blanket. He should have taken a canvas or something to keep him warm. While picking up a large bundle of leaves, he felt a sense of uneasiness. A few bushes rustled around him, but nothing unusual. He looked around, suddenly alert. He was always told to trust his instincts as they would save his life. Never brush off uneasy feelings, no matter what.

After at least two minutes of silence, he began to crawl out of the bush. A flash of movement erupted in front of him. Something darted past him knocking him over and just as he fell he heard a whistling sound through the air. Sitting up, he looked to what almost hit him. A small deer darted past him and into the woods.

"Weird…" he stopped mid-sentence. Embedded in a tree next to his head was a quivering arrow that had just been fired. "Somebody tried to kill me!" Dante bolted upright and pulled out his dagger and gun. Rushing forward in the direction the arrow came from, he yelled trying to be as terrifying a possible. He spotted a slight figure holding a bow. Dante yelled, tackling the person before they could fire another arrow. The arrow they had flew wide, off into the distance. They rolled around on the floor trying to get the advantage. Dante felt a knee smash into his gut. Doubling over on the floor, he gasped for breath as the other person rolled away and stood up. They swung their bow as hard as they could towards Dante's head, barely missing as he rolled away and stood up. Dante leaped towards the other person with his knife slashing at their stomach. The other person pushed forward their bow, stopping the blade. From close up, Dante saw that the person was a girl, probably his own age. She pushed him back with far more power than he expected.

_Darn it. I have to use that blasted gun on a girl! This is embarrassing…_

With no choice in the matter, Dante brought out his gun and pointed it at the girl. The girl ducked just before the bullets fired, escaping the hail of bullets that embedded inside the trees behind her. She quickly got back up and whacked Dante's head with her bow. Already off balance from the recoil, Dante flew backwards almost falling over. The girl dived towards him, tackling him to the ground again. Frustrated, Dante pushed his feet against her stomach and flipped her over into a tree. Both of them quickly got up with more than a few scratches and bruises from the brief fight.

"What the hell, you tried to kill me!" Dante screamed.

"Me? You're the one who let my prey get away, then attacked like some kind of bandit!" she replied with just as much anger.

"You don't _shoot people_ if that's your idea of a sport!"

"Shoot at people? Why would I hunt something as inedible as you?"

"What do you mean inedible? And I only attacked you cause I thought you were trying to kill me! But you still haven't answered me, shooting people isn't a sport!"

"Just cause you're such a lousy hunter huh?" she replied now realising the whole fight was a foolish misunderstanding. "I was hunting that deer which past but as soon as you moved it bolted. I was tracking that one for three days too. What were you doing here anyway, waiting for travellers to arrive so you could rob them? And why do you smell like dead fish and seawater?"

"Dead fish… well I guess that happens when you live on the sea."

"The sea? You're in the navy? Wow they're really scraping the bottom of the barrel now. You don't even know how to make a camp!"

"Ok, 1) you can't say I'm weak as I'm probably stronger than you."

"Yeah right…"

"2) I'm not a highway man or whatever that would rob your stuff. Bows and arrows aren't my thing. 3) There's no way I'd be in the Navy! I'm a pirate through and through!"

"A pirate, so you're still a thief, but one too cowardly to leave your ship. I bet you were kicked out or something."

"If they'd kicked me out I'd be dead by now. No, I was in a serious fight. I'm pretty skilled to be alive right now."

She looked at him for a while, as if deciding what to do with him.

"Alright here's the deal. Because I'm so interested in your story, and I want to have a rematch later, I won't turn you in. Tell me what you've been doing to get lost up in the Spine!"

Dante recounted the events of the past few weeks, from the attack on Teirm when he stole his ship to its death shortly after when the pirated attacked. He was careful not to mention killing anybody in case she decided he was too dangerous to have around. He wasn't looking forward to another fight yet. She seemed to get especially interested when he described the green stone he found. Afterward she asked to see the rock slightly nervous. Dante pulled the stone out of his rucksack and handed it to her. She stared at it with wonder, examining it carefully. Just like Dante did, she took out a hunting knife and tapped it lightly. Again, a clear note rang out, getting absorbed in the trees. "What was this doing inside a stupid mansion? Whoever paid for this must have paid an arm and a leg."

"You know what this is?"

"Not really. I've never seen a rock like this myself but I've heard a lot of stories back in my village. You're obviously not gonna survive the night so you might as well come with me. If we can't make it back in time then I'll give you a couple of sheets or something and you can sleep nearby. After all, you wouldn't last two seconds against a bear or something."

"Please, I can handle the worst the sea has to offer, a few bunnies can't hope to beat me! Don't under... Oi, where are you going?"

She was walking away with deeper into the forest. She turned around with an annoyed look.

"Well don't just stand there, follow me!"

Dante ran to catch up and once they were together he slowed down to match her pace.

"By the way, what's your name anyway?" Dante asked. "If we're gonna have a rematch sometime I have to know the name of the person I beat!"

"Cocky aren't we?" she said with a slight half smile. "Good. It will be pointless if your heart's not in it. My name, is Gwendolyn. Most of my friends call me Lyn but there aren't many of them."

"Right. I'm Dante, and you should remember it. I'm gonna be famous, just you wait!"

"Sure, if you can beat me I'll believe you."

They both walked off, talking about all their adventures, all though staying a safe distance away as they Dante held a knife behind his back, and Lyn had her bow partially drawn, just waiting for the perfect opening...

**This is, SPIRIT! Just a habit to type that left over from my last fic. Either way, things look a little slow now but they'll speed up. Peace!**


	3. Dawn

**Reviews are tricky... I wonder how people get hundreds of reviews? Probably just getting well known on forums and with lots of fics. Whatever, I'll get there eventually.**

**This is the real deal presents:**

**This... is... SPIRIT! ****(wait, wrong fic!) ****Piercing Heavens!**

**Chapter 3: ****Dawn**

"What kind of pitiful resting place is this?!"

"Well what do you expect? A murderous pirate doesn't have a Queen-sized bed you know!"

"So why do you get the comfy spot?"

"I'll hardly call it comfy, but then again, this must be the best bed a dirty pirate like you has ever seen!"

"So I'm meant to sleep on a _rock?_"

"Live with it. Because of you, we don't have any food! So you can sleep over there!"

Dante clenched his fists in anger and frustration. Unable to make it to the village in time, they had to camp out anyway. Searching through the woods for the campsite, Lyn finally found her favourite spot. It was a simple clearing in the middle of the forest, probably no safer than anywhere else. A small circle with no grass inside it was lit up with a campfire. With no food on either of them at the time, they both decided to go to sleep instantly. Where exactly they would sleep was a problem. The clearing was pretty small and none of them felt comfortable or safe sleeping at the very edge of the clearing away from the fire but all around the campsite was dirt with little to no grass. There was one spot that had tufts of grass and that's where Lyn instantly laid down on. The rest of the dirt was open to Dante and most of it had hard and sharp rocks on it. Lyn took the sleeping bag and most of the blankets, tossing two torn up blankets to Dante.

"I can't sleep like this," Dante said with finality. "I'm not gonna die of a severe chill just because you refused to give me a proper blanket."

"I'm sorry, you tried to kill me, am I supposed to help you?"

Grumbling, Dante curled up into a tight ball near the fire, ignoring the sharp rocks underneath him. He shut his eyes hearing nothing but the background chirping of Crickets and the crackling fire.

. . .

"Wake up pirate! Wake up!"

Dante jerked upright quickly, unsure of what was happening. Instinctively, he rolled to the side, expecting to get his head bashed in. Guessing correctly, he dodged a swinging axe. The first signs of Dawn were shining through the trees, but otherwise it was still dark. Lyn was desperately fending off two swordsmen with her bow, swinging at their heads with it. Both of the bandits easily dodged her strikes, snarling in rage. Dante couldn't figure out what would make them so angry until she saw another bandit on the floor with an arrow sticking out of his chest.

_Darn that woman! She couldn't just shoot his knee or something as a warning! No, she has to kill him! Now that I look at these people more closely..._

Dante stared hard at the two of them and third bandit who had attacked with an axe. He cursed under his breath. They were the Pirates Dante had sunk the ships of. He pulled out his dagger and was about to pull out his gun when he found he was already holding it. The axman charged at him. Dante weaved to the side avoiding a slicing axe blade and then cut open his side with the knife. Howling in pain, the axman smashed into Dante with his shoulder. Dante rolled over backwards, slamming into a tree. The axman chuckled.

"Thought you could get away with wrecking our ship did ya? Let me tell you, not many get away with messing with us.."

"Die!"

Dante pulled out his gun, blasting the Pirate square in the chest. The pirate flew backwards and collapsed on the floor, guaranteed dead. Dante jumped back up and ran to Lyn. One of the bandits was unconscious on the ground but the other one was still standing with little more than a small bruise on his wrist. Lyn however had a long thin cut along her right arm. Dante rushed in and tackled the bandit, sending him to the ground. The bandit punched Dante hard in the gut, pushing him off in the process. The bandit got up and brought up his cutlass to lay the finishing blow. In desperation, Dante kicked him between the legs, stunning him before Lyn ran in and whacked is head with her bow. The Pirate toppled over onto the floor and then got back up again, holding the side of his face. The other pirate who Lyn knocked out also got up. Both of them ran off into the forest, cursing them with more enthusiasm than they fought with. Dante exhaled as his muscles relaxed. He glanced at the two dead bodies.

Shaking them off his mind, he turned to Lyn.

"So we make a good team, but that doesn't mean anything, you hear? Uh... Lyn?"

Lyn was looking at the body with an arrow going through it. Her hands were shaking visibly and sweat was dripping down her face. Her pupils were dilated and her eyes looked like they didn't understand what had happened. Dante walked over to her frowning. Her thick black hair was in a mess standing on ends and her simple leather and fur hunting gear had a few strips of blood running through them. Dante, understanding stood next to her looking at the body. "First time you've killed someone huh?"

She nodded her head.

"Didn't think it would feel like that huh? That's why you shot the arrow so quickly, not bothering to keep him breathing."

She nodded again.

"It was just... so fast..." she said with a tremble in her voice. "I can't understand how a life can slip like that. I didn't even realise he was dead until afterwards, and then I just started thinking that if I hadn't gotten help there I would've died and..." She took a deep breath and then exhaled with a shudder.

"Don't worry about it. It couldn't be helped. There was no guarantee that we would be safe if you had let him live, and he attacked us anyway. It was to be expected. Don't stress about it, okay?"

Lyn closed her eyes for a moment and then returned to her usual demeanour.

"Wasn't it your fault we were attacked anyway? Who told you to sink their ship!"

"Again; not my fault! They attacked me!"

"Whatever just get our stuff. I caught them when they were just arriving. One of them was carrying your backpack. I shot him down and that's where things started. I think they dropped your pack over there."

Dante walked over to some bushes under a clump of trees. His pack was there just resting. Dante opened it up and examined the contents. He went pale.

"It's gone..." he whispered. Lyn looked at him questioningly. "It's gone." He emptied the contents on the floor. A few pearl necklaces, two gold coins, and a card with the picture of his old crew's pirate flag. The green stone was nowhere to be found. "They took the stone!"

"They what?"

"The stone! That green emerald rock I stole from Teirm! They took it! It's not here! I can't lose that now!"

"Didn't you steal it?"

"So? I've got a good feeling about that rock, it can't go missing now!"

Dante paced around in circles questioning how he could let it slip from his sight. Lyn looked at him wondering if he would hurry up and do something about it. Finally, she sighed.

"I can track them if you want."

"What?"

"I said, I can track them. I hunt deer all the time, so humans with their massive boots are no problem. Just know you owe me a lot of..."

Dante jumped into the air, screaming and whooping in joy, ignoring whatever she was going to say. He cart wheeled all around the camp area and then rushed off into the forest.

"Hey follow me, don't run off on your own! Dante!"

. . .

After becoming rejoined, the two agreed that food was more important at the time, and spent most of the time hunting in the forests. After about three hours, Lyn finally caught up with the deer from the previous night and with a well aimed arrow, slew it. The majority of the day was spent following the pirates and when they reached a stream, washing off. The two finally retraced the trail and during late evening, trekked up the mountainside to their camp.

The two were hiding behind a bush, looking at the enemy camp. Using Lyn's hunting skills; they managed to track down the thieves. There were five of them left in a small camp similar to their own, except instead of being surrounded by trees, rocks were surrounding them. The air had become far chillier, biting against Dante's exposed arms and legs. His breath started to condense as he breathed out, forming small clouds with fleeting existences. The pirates were also affected with their very loose clothing meant for hot tropical regions. One of them was counting out stolen money or money that was salvaged from the ship. He looked like the Captain from before. The other three pirates were drinking bottle of rum while the fourth pirate was examining the green stone. Dante couldn't hear him clearly, but he obviously was suspicious of the stone. Dante turned to face Lyn.

"So what's the plan then?" Dante asked.

"Simple," Lyn said matter-of-factly. "We pick them off one by one until only that guy is left. We double team him and get what we need. If we can't pull that off, then we'll just steal it and leave."

"Alright, considering how we aren't really assassins, how?"

"By using you as bait." Dante stayed silent for a moment and then pretended to ignore it.

"I'm sorry I didn't quite catch that..."

"Don't play dumb! You're going to challenge their Captain. The Captain will be inclined to fight you and you'll spar for awhile. The crew will be too busy to notice anything so I can slip in and take the egg. Good?"

"Not good! In case you haven't noticed, I'm not really a fighter and I've come too close to dying on multiple occasions! I never have, and never will be able to challenge a Captain head on and win! And... wait, you called the rock and egg just now!"

"Did I?" Lyn blinked innocently. "Must have been a slip of the tongue. Either way, I didn't think you could fight a Captain..."

"What do you mean? I'm just as strong as any Captain!"

"But you can't even do a task a woman gives you!"

Dante grinded his teeth, forgetting his previous reluctance to fight.

"First of all, you're no woman, you're a monster or something! Second, I'll prove to you how much of a man I can be! Just you watch!"

"Just watch what?"

Both of them froze completely. They slowly turned around just to see a very angry looking pirate cracking his knuckles. Before they could pull out their weapons, he grabbed them by their collars and pulled them up forcefully. He pushed them out into the clearing before the Captain. The Captain tapped his foot impatiently.

"Well? Want to explain what you're doing here?" he asked menacingly. He was a rather thin man with a handsome almost princely face. However it was spoilt by a series of scars all across his left cheek and across the bridge of his nose. A thin rapier hung by his side and his green coat swayed in the breeze.

"Lyn, what do I do?" Dante asked through the side of his mouth, paralyzed with fear.

"I don't know, improvise!"

"What do you mean, 'improvise'? We made a plan remember?"

"Well the plan is dead okay?"

The Captain stared at them impatiently, fiddling with his sword.

"Well are you gonna answer?" he asked, his voice raising.

Lyn pushed Dante forward. Thinking rapidly, he summoned up his courage.

"I have come to challenge you! I have travelled far across the many distant plains just to find you! Your fame precedes you, but I have come to take it for my own!"

A crewmember stepped forward.

"There he is Captain! The boy who sunk our ship! Distant plains my foot!"

_Darn they found me out! Alright, just go with it..._

"So my story was a lie, but my purpose is the same! To avenge the attack you laid on my ship and to reclaim my treasures!"

Dante pulled his knife out of his belt and pointed it at the Captain.

"A single fight with no interference. My sister shall watch away from us and your men shall stand down. Prepare for a battle of the likes you have never seen!"

The Captain stood up from the rock he was on and stared down at Dante.

"Ho ho? So the boy has some spirit in his heart eh? Let's see if you have the iron to match it. Boys, no help. Bucktooth, take the girl away. A little girl shouldn't see blood spilt especially not of her brother.

A pirate grabbed Lyn by the shoulder and carried her away into a nearby cave. Lyn pretended to struggle with all her might, barely giving any resistance. Dante stared down the Captain as he pulled out a glittering rapier. The pirates spread out, creating a semicircle, trapping the combatants between them and the forest. He would not be able to outrun them. He focused on only one thing: staying alive.

. . .

"Let go of me! I want to help my brother please! Stop grabbing me!"

"Shut it girly, you wouldn't last a min'te 'gainst our boss. He's the fastest fighter of all the seas. 'Gainst him your brother's as good as dead."

"I said, let go!"

Lyn broke free of the Pirate and sharply kicked him between his legs. While the pirate was doubled over, she brought up her elbow and smashed it on the back of his head. The pirate collapsed, this time really knocked out. Lyn poked him with her toe before running off inside the cave. She quickly pocketed a handful of gold coins that was on a stool. She then crept out of the cave, avoiding the fighting outside. The sound of clashing metal against metal occasionally rang out, echoing through the hills, but for the most part it was just the sound of feet hammering the floor and curses as Dante struggled to dodge every hit.

_He's not even trying to win, just survive!_

Lyn crept past not getting seen by any of the pirates and spotted the green rock lying on the floor next to a large satchel. She grabbed the stone and stuffed it inside before strapping it to her back. She looked towards Dante's fight. A small smile crept across her face as she saw his antics.

"Blimey! He's clinging to the Captain's back!"

"He's not letting go! The Captain can't hit him!"

Dante gripped the pirate's back firmly, not letting him score a hit as he spun around on the spot, trying in vain to cut him with the sword. Dante made sure to hold his arms as well so he wouldn't be able to reach. The pirate snarled.

"Release me at once you lily-livered child! I'll have your guts for breakfast! I'll kill you and then find you in hell just to kill you again!"

Dante didn't budge, occasionally gasping in pain as he got slammed against trees. He peeked over the pirate's shoulder to see Lyn holding up the stone and giving him a thumbs up. He nodded and then just before getting slammed into another tree, jumped off and rolled to the side. The pirate smashed his back against the tree and cried out in agony. Dante quickly turned to face the other pirates, yanking out his gun. They all scattered before him at the sight of the gun, giving him room to run through to Lyn.

"Don't run from the traitorous fiend! After him!" the Captain screamed as he stood back up on unsteady legs. Dante caught up to Lyn and together they both sprinted like the wind was lifting their feet. Suddenly, they came to an abrupt stop. They stood teetering off the edge of an impossibly steep mountainside, staring down at the rough rocky decent down to the river several hundred metres below. Jumping off of there would be certain death. Lyn turned to him panicked.

"What now?"

"How should I know? There was no escape route in the plan!"

"You've gotta be..."

Lyn spotted a large burnt crate that was filled with barrels of rum. Thinking on her feet, she pulled out a few of the bottles and began pushing it towards the edge.

"What are you doing?" Dante asked as he turned around to face the pirates.

"Just distract them!" Lyn shouted back.

Swearing very loudly, Dante fired into the two approaching pirates, blasting one of them down as the other escaped. The last pirate caught up along with the Captain, all of them armed with either rapiers of cutlasses. Dante dodged a loping swing from a cutlass and parried a thrust from the rapier. He pointed his gun at them, even though he knew he was out of bullets and they both scattered. He turned back to face Lyn.

"Gwen! Hurry up already!"

Gwendolyn turned around to face Dante and pulled him by the back of his shirt into the crate. She then gave it a final heave and then jumped in herself as it started sliding down the steep slope. The crate buckled, jerking the few remaining bottles out and then began to pick up speed. The two passengers started screaming in fear as it picked up speed, hurtling down the slope like a speeding arrow. It kept smashing against small rocks, chipping and wearing itself away as it slid down. Multiple times Dante found his knee smashing against his chin or Lyn kicking him accidentally. Dante peeked over the edge of the crate to see a massive rock racing up to meet him. It would be ten seconds until impact from what he could tell. He turned to speak to Lyn.

"This is the point where I'm meant to say I've always loved you. Sadly, I don't. I really, _really _don't!"

"Glad to see it's mutual!"

Then, all went black.

. . .

Dante awoke with a start. The sky was filled with the dull grey light of the early morning hours. He could just about hear the singing of the first birds.

_Was I knocked out the whole night?_

He tried sitting up and then winced in pain as he collapsed again. The pain throbbed and ached, aggravating him in hid right arm. He found himself holding his breath to hold in the tears welling up behind his eyes, now unable to breath. As he finally took a deep breath, he looked at his arm. It looked swollen up and slightly twisted. Dislocated. He forced him self to stand up straight.

"Remember what Elwood taught you... Clench your fist."

Dante balled his fist.

"What was it... Make sure it's facing away from me... Ow! Not right... there we go... FUUU..."

He cursed loudly as he twisted his arm outwards with extreme amounts of pain. Finally, his shoulder made a popping sound as it relocated itself. He gasped, taking deep breaths as he recovered from the shock of it.

"Done breaking your own arm?" Lyn said. Dante looked up to see Lyn sitting on the edge of a rock that was jutting out from the side of the mountain. She sat there facing the east, waiting for the sunrise. She turned around to face Dante. The early morning light seemed to give her a higher sense of clarity that Dante never noticed before.

Her tanned skin... no, that was it's natural colour. Her skin seemed to radiate a sort of glow from within her, as if her veins coursed with boundless amounts of life. Her thick black hair was tied up in two pigtails, recently retied from after becoming undone yesterday. Her deep brown almond shaped eyes seemed to pierce through him though, contrasting with her body's energy with a seriousness born from years of hunting in the treacherous mountains of the Spine. Her outfit was rough and slim, with tufts of wolf fur on the shoulders and knees. Her outfit was relatively plain, but didn't seem to diminish her beauty.

Dante couldn't help but flush at the sight. He may not have ever been her friend, but he couldn't deny that she was quite something for a village girl. She could almost match up to the various princesses that the navy would often escort from place to place.

Unsure of what to do, he strode over to where she was and sat down next to her. She gave him a small half smile.

"Thanks," she said quickly.

"Hmm?"

"For protecting me up there when I prepared the crate. If you wanted to you could have cleared a path with that gun of yours and made it out through the forest. I couldn't do that. But instead you chose to stay and help me. I really appreciate it. Especially after I set you up to be a decoy."

"Ah don't sweat it. You had my stone didn't you? I couldn't just leave it in _your _care!"

"So in the end it's still about money to you huh?"

"Once a pirate always a pirate! But I guess I _kinda _thought it was unfair to leave a Lady to fend off a horde of pirates! Just next time, lets take the stairs down instead!"

She let out a small giggle and then became silent as they both just sat there staring over at the sea. Lyn brought out her backpack and took out the stone. She handed it to Dante. Dante took it, cradling it gently between his arms. The stone was pulsing and shaking a bit more rapidly now but he ignored it. They both stared at the sun as it rose over the trees and hills.

"Dawn..." Dante said detached. "I loved to see the rising of the sun when I was on the ship. It felt like it symbolised new life in me."

As if on cue, the rock began shaking violently now. Lyn backed off from it, scared it might explode and if it wasn't for the money it would make, Dante would have dropped it as well. Lines appeared all over the stone like cracks. The cracks grew larger until finally, the exterior of the shell fell off as a head poked through the surface of the stone, or egg. They both gasped as the reptilian creature crawled out of it and onto Dante's lap. It looked around with its half shut eyes at everything surrounding it. Gwendolyn looked at the creature with disbelief. But she didn't stay silent for long.

"Dante, you said the sunrise signalled new life? You couldn't have been closer to the truth..."

For there on Dante's lap was his very...

Own...

Dragon...


	4. A fresh start

**Chapter, FOOOUUUURRR! Ok reviews much appreciated now... They motivate people... Oh yeah, I think you noticed already, but I use Italics for thoughts, including when talking to dragons, just like what Paolini did. I know that sometimes reading on old phones it doesn't show up as italics so if anybody has any objections to that or says I should write it out differently or something then be my guest and tell me. Oh, and I may change the title of this fic sometime soon, just to let you know. I'll tell you what it will be in advance and stuff. Yeah...**

**This is the Real Deal presents:**

**Fighting Spiiiiriiit!**

**Chapter 4: A fresh start**

Dante stared at the green dragon on his lap. The dragon blinked a few times before gliding off his lap to the ground, staring and poking at everything with the inquisitiveness that only a baby could have. The dragon opened its eyes wide now revealing a pair of red eyes. It stared at Dante questioningly and then at Lyn. They both gawked at the dragon in disbelief. Dante suddenly felt an overbearing ravenous hunger that threatened to tear him apart. He clutched his head, understanding the message. Lyn looked equally as affected.

"Get it food," she said urgently. Dante nodded in agreement. They had a few strips of meat left over from the last deer Lyn had caught and after salting them heavily they had managed to survive the night. Dante pulled them out of his pack and using his knife, cut them into small cubes. He handed a cube to the dragon, careful to keep his fingers out of the way. The dragon sniffed the meat suspiciously before chomping on it, swallowing it all in one bite.

The dragon stared at Dante as if asking for more. He kept feeding the dragon like this for about two or three minutes before finally the dragon curled up into a ball and went to sleep.

_It eats so much and yet it's a baby! And whatever it did to my mind it's dangerous! This thing is not safe..._

They both approached the dragon, unsure of what to do with it. Finally, Lyn spoke up.

"You have a dragon... you're a dragon rider!"

"No way... I can't believe it... Wait, you knew that the rock was a dragon egg didn't you?!"

Lyn shrugged her shoulders.

"I didn't. I just took a guess. People tell stories of these things all the time. So far I haven't seen a dragon egg yet but a traveller who stopped by at our village said that he was tested to see if he was a rider. He described it as a kind of hollow rock with pale veins running through it. He never described an actual dragon marking like on yours. I just took a guess and I was right. It didn't feel like it was gonna hatch for me so I didn't really care. I'm shocked it hatched for you!"

"Are you saying I'm not good enough to be a rider?"

"I'm saying you're not good enough to be a human being! You're a thief and most likely a murderer too! I should have tied you up while you were sleeping or something and turned you in to the Royal Guard but I can't now that you have a dragon."

"But... what do I do? I can't look after a dragon! Did you see how much meat it just ate? Feeding it would be a major problem!"

"He'll hunt for himself soon enough."

"And then what? It becomes the size of a mountain or something and I have to fly over to wherever the rider training camp is or whatever and become one! I can't handle that responsibility, I'm a pirate! They'd probably arrest me on sight anyway! I just wanna go back home to my family. And if they won't accept me, I might stay as a pirate, or maybe if I'm lucky become a marine or something. I'm a sailor, not some hero!"

"You wanted to become big right?"

"Huh?"

"You said you'd become famous? Well now is a chance to make a name for yourself! There are thousands of others, I included, who would give an arm and a leg to have what you have and here you are worrying about how to be a nobody! Put yourself together and act like a man!"

Dante took a deep breath and calmed himself. The dragon peeked out from under its eyelid as if sensing the change in Dante. Now that Dante looked at the dragon it looked kind of cute, and very cool. He stretched out his hand to stroke it on the head.

"Don't do that!" Lyn screamed. Dante looked at her questioningly. "I've heard that if a rider touches their dragon while it has just hatched, they get a serious burn on the palm of their hand. It'll hurt!"

"Well maybe it's like a pact or something that they form?"

Ignoring her cautious words, Dante touched the dragon. The dragon's eyes opened wide. As soon as it did this, Dante felt something like an electric shock shoot through his arm. It was like ice cold water that crackled and snapped as it travelled through him. However, it wasn't as severe as he thought it would be. He removed his hand and examined it. Contrary to Lyn's ideas, there was no mark on his palm. Lyn stared at his hand.

"Well that's weird," he said.

"Maybe it means you're not the dragon's rider?" Lyn said. "Let me try."

She stroked the dragon's head, but got a similar result, though perhaps weaker now. She shook her head. "I don't know what to think about this. Any ideas?"

"Butcher the guy!"

"**No!**"

"I'm just joking!"

"Well it wasn't very funny!"

"Aw come on, I'm sure he'd agree! Right Draco?"

"Draco?"

"It's a constellation of stars that resembles a dragon. And it also means dragon, though I don't know in which language. Until I can think of a proper name for the guy, I'll call him, or her, Draco. Nice one eh?"

"So... you've called the dragon, dragon," she stated flatly with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes!"

Lyn shook her head and began walking down the slope.

"It should be a short walk before we make it to my village. Keep 'Draco' with you. Let him ride on your shoulder or something, I don't know."

Dante picked up the dragon from the floor, ignoring its protesting squeals, and then placed it inside his pack. He then shouldered the bag. He felt the dragon's claws digging into his shoulders for grip. Lyn couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the sight of Dante carrying the dragon on his back like a mother carrying a baby. In her opinion, it looked cute.

They set off again, the whole way with Dante talking to the dragon about his various adventures and what they went through just to get back his egg. At a point, Lyn questioned why Dante was telling the dragon all of this when it wouldn't even understand him and yet Dante claimed that the dragon understood his meaning if not what he said. Along the way, Dante could always feel the presence of the dragon's mind, small and yet at the same time large, and apparently always hungry. When Lyn caught a deer again, two whole legs went to the dragon at which point Dante declared that no more food was to be given in case it got fat.

After walking until the late afternoon, they finally arrived. Draco poked his head over Dante's trying to get a better look at everything. Dante reached for the presence that was the dragon and using his mind he imprinted one thing on it: _stay down._ The dragon obeyed and ducked inside his rucksack, sending a feeling of grudging acknowledgment as well. He couldn't afford to have the dragon get spotted here. Everyone would be asking how he got it and who gave him the egg, when, where and all sorts. Eventually the truth of how he stole the egg would become apparent. Then there would be some who are scared of dragons and anything magical who might wish to harm Draco. In the short time he had known Draco he had begun to grow fond of him. Or her as the case may be. He couldn't afford to lose Draco just yet.

The town was rather simple with a bunch of stores, houses and other random wooden buildings all placed randomly all over with little space between them and no city planning at all. The town hall stood in the very middle of the city with the ground outside it trampled flat from various meetings that called for the villagers to meet. Directly in front of the front entrance was a medium sized wooden stage, worn down from overuse. In the end it was just like any other village. Small, quaint, and with the smell of 'home' to it. The aroma of freshly baked pies would waft out of windows, making the whole party's mouths water. Guided by Lyn, they travelled through the winding streets, if you could call them that. Children ran through the streets playing there games, many of them stopping to say hi to Lyn. Many of the adults also welcomed Lyn back and asked her why she took so long to return. A thirteen year old boy ran up to the party.

"Welcome back Gwendolyn! How was the hunt? Still as beautiful as before?"

Lyn, ignoring the last question, replied with a grunt. Although she managed to finally catch a deer, half of it was consumed by the three of them combined. She would have had a lot more if Dante and Draco weren't around. The boy briefly glanced at Dante, taking in his rough appearance with a displeased expression and then turned back to Lyn.

"So you reject my offers of love and affection and yet you return with some 'boy'."

"Watch it kid," Dante said in as menacing a way as possible. "I'm older than you and probably stronger than you too!"

"Suuuure you're stronger... Lyn, you couldn't possibly be his, could you?"

"Of course not!" she screamed. "Although I don't know who's worse between the two of you!"

"Oi!" both boys replied indignant. After the younger boy left, they kept walking through the streets until finally stopping at the outskirts of the village.

"Well, here we are!" Lyn said joyfully. "My home. Don't eat too much and maybe we'll let you stay."

"You're asking a pirate not to eat too much," Dante said amused. "You have funny ideas of a joke."

The house was surprisingly large, with as much love and care put into building it as possible. It stood on its own separate from the city, overlooking the vast mountains of the Spine with a view that had the very essence of beauty engraved in it. The oak front doors had pine carvings of two dragons for the handles and all over the outside of the house was lavished with plants and carvings. To the side of the house was a wooden green painted worn-out bench that also stared down to a valley below. The windows were all wrought with the utmost care. But for all its grandeur, it was not a place where the wealthy would live. This was something that was made by someone after the best for their family. Lyn entered the house, beckoning Dante inside. Draco poked his small head out of the backpack to see the house. This time Dante didn't tell him to go back down. They probably wouldn't be invited somewhere so fancy for a while anyway.

The interior of the house had cream coloured paint and a rather simple welcome mat written, 'home is where your heart is'. Generally the hallway wasn't too cluttered with useless accessories, but a few portraits of family members hung on the walls. The hall was surprisingly cramped, allowing only one person at a time to pass through. Lyn entered a door on her left and entered a kitchen. She opened the pantry door and stashed the meat inside while Dante stood outside waiting. She would cook it in maybe five minutes or so. She exited the kitchen and proceeded to march through the hallway.

"I'm home! Mamma! Papa!" Lyn shouted, her voice resounding through the house. Dante could have sworn that he saw a vase resonate slightly from the noise. They entered the living room. It had that same 'home' feel as the rest of the house, but it was no longer so cramped. It was probably 7x10 metres and had a medium sized coffee table in the centre of the room with armchairs around it. Dante placed his lute which he had recovered on the coffee table as he looked around. There was a fire place at the far side of the wall and a door that probably led to a veranda outside. A flight of stairs led up to the bedrooms most likely. Dante heard the opening and shutting of a door followed by the slow relaxed footsteps. A pair of feet became visible at the top of the stairs. At this Draco ducked back down getting the message before it was sent. The feet plonked down each stair until finally reaching the bottom. A girl, possibly two years older than Dante and Lyn stood there with a bored expression.

She had almost silk like black hair that flowed across her face. Like Lyn, her eyes seemed to pierce right through him as if they could see the inner workings of his mind. But in her eyes there was a lack of energy, as if she just wanted to sleep. She wore a plain cream colourer blouse and a brown knee length skirt. In terms of her clothing, she was plainly clad.

"So little sis is back huh?" she asked plainly.

"Yes I'm back Guinevere, where's mamma and papa?"

The girl, Guinevere, leered at Dante quizzically, questioning why he was even allowed inside. He probably still smelt of fish and seawater, and with his very loose clothing now torn from trekking through the woods, he looked just like a bandit who was down on his luck. No doubt she was probably staring at his gun holstered on his rough leather belt. He mentally noted to keep it hidden from now on.

"Wow Lyn, I didn't know you had such bad taste in boys."

"He's not my boyfriend already!" she screamed angrily. Ignoring the protests, and ignoring Dante, Guinevere continued.

"Either way, father's at the forge right now and he'll probably be there for a while. He said he got an order from an adventurer to forge him a sword. This hero guy was once part of the army and he's being called up again."

Dante likely guessed that as a small time smith, he wouldn't get orders from the military or even an adventurer unless his skill was something exceptional. He must have been good.

"Apparently there's a shade on the loose or something and they want to stop it now. The riders have already been contacted but so far they haven't moved. I don't know what they're doing but they won't move for another few weeks. They've started calling up all sorts of heroes to do the job."

"So this guy told papa to make a weapon to kill the shade?" Lyn asked, unsure of how well that would work.

"Pretty much. Of course that guy's as good as dead without a magic weapon or something. He won't last a second with an ordinary sword. Father's racking his brains to think of a way to make it work."

"And where's mama?"

"Upstairs. Had a headache or something I don't know."

"Any other news beside?"

Dante slipped out of the room as the two continued their conversation. He climbed up the steps and entered another hallway. There were two doors there, likely the parent's bedroom and the girls' bedroom. A third door was at the end which was likely a guest room. He entered the room and looked around.

The room was rather empty, bearing no decorations of any kind. A chest of drawers was placed underneath a window overlooking the valley outside. A large bed was next to the chest and a smaller mattress was opposite that on the floor. Draco poked his head out of the bag again to look around.

"Where will you sleep Draco? I forgot all about that. You can't sleep in my room. I'm not gonna clean up your dung!"

Lyn entered the room having finished her conversation. She stared at the dragon for a while, still not sure how to react. Finally, she spoke up.

"I think I know a place where he can sleep."

The two of them walked back downstairs, ignoring Guinevere who was washing dishes in the kitchen. Lyn grabbed some blankets from her bag and then together they left the house. They left the village altogether and went a little while out of the forest. Lyn stopped in a small clearing. It was not unlike the last place they had camped at but more comfortable with more grass growing. In the middle was instead a solitary oak tree, a stranger among the pines. Among the lowest branches of the oak was an old but sturdy looking hut with a ladder leading up to the top. The roof was thatched and looked good enough to protect someone from the rain. It looked rather small but otherwise it was a genuine tree house that could probably hold all three of them at the same time.

"I used to use this place when I was a little kid," Lyn said with pride in her voice. "I don't use it much anymore but I still make sure it doesn't fall out of the branches! Nobody but my dad knows about this place and he never comes here anyway. It's pretty far from most of the big game so if Draco starts hunting nobody will notice."

Dante picked Draco gently out of the bag and placed him on the ground. Dante unsteadily walked around the clearing, and then went to the tree house, sniffing the base of the actual tree a few times. He hopped up to the lower branches, then the next branches, and so on until he was in the top of the tree. He let out a large yawn and curled up into a ball almost exactly like a cat. Dante climbed up the ladder and peeked inside with a small warm smile on his face. Lyn was hanging onto a branch next to him. They watched the dragon sleep for a short while before jumping down again.

_I feel like a mother now, _Dante thought to himself chuckling slightly. He thought he heard a low humming inside his head, but then quickly realised it must have been Draco as he heard it coming directly from him to. The pair both walked back to the house, Dante lazily swinging his legs with his hands behind his head as if he didn't have a care in the world.

. . .

For a fortnight Dante remained in the village, apparently named Gild. It is said that the most famous of all weapon smiths were raised there, some even travelling as far as the Dwarf civilisations to study. It was set up after the fall of Galbatorix as a training camp for sword smiths but as with many small settlements, it slowly grew until what it was today. The history of the town really didn't interest Dante much though as he was always spending his time cleaning up around the home or doing odd jobs for the other villagers.

Lyn's parents were rather nice to him but they had said he wouldn't hang around for free. Dante didn't know where Lyn went during the afternoons, just that she would leave around the same time as her father who would almost never speak, hiding behind his large bushy brown beard. Her sister would often be away as well so generally it was just Dante and Lyn's mother in the house, cleaning up, washing dishes, buying groceries, and occasionally at the forge where Lyn's father would be. Once he even saw Lyn leaving as he arrived with sweat dripping down her forehead, but he doubted that she was working there.

Whenever he finished the chores he would wander through the village, often getting called to repair something or another or help on a farm. During this time he had become quite well known, although he made sure to keep his dagger hidden and rarely took his gun with him. Whenever he had free time he would go to the clearing where Draco was and tell him everything there was to tell, whether about his recent adventures, day to day life, or even his own past which he wouldn't even share with Lyn.

Every day he would show up at the clearing shouting "Hey Draco! What did you catch this time? A wandering crow? A pesky mouse? Or maybe a whole deer this time?" Draco would glide down out of the tree and land in Dante's arms. Then Draco would get comfortable on Dante's shoulder and they would walk through the forest, swapping their moods and feelings. Dante would tell him everything and whenever he sensed a hint of confusion from Dante he would try to describe it with a mental picture the way Draco often did. Similarly Draco would relay all of the things he experienced.

Sometimes Lyn would join them and on these occasions she would teach him how to hunt like a true pro, no longer using her bow and instead using a knife so that it would be easier for Draco to understand. Sadly, her first few attempts failed miserably as she charged in swinging her dagger around wildly at the deer and birds. Finally after watching Draco, she stopped and pulled off her shoes that would always crunch on the grass making unbearably loud noise. It seemed she learned more from Draco than Draco from her.

That aside, Draco grew remarkably in the short space of time. Draco's size had practically doubled by the end of the two weeks, and in the next two Draco reached Dante's waist. After a point Dante even stopped getting him scraps of food from Lyn's kitchen as Draco had always caught something when he arrived. It wouldn't be long until Dante could ride him like a real dragon rider. But before that could happen, they still had more adventures waiting for them just around the corner...

. . .

"Fifteen men on a dead man's chest, yo, ho, ho and a bottle of rum!" Dante sang as he polished his unused gun on the front porch. As usual, he was left alone inside the house to do nothing but fiddle with his thumbs now that the dishes were all clean. He stared long and hard at the gun to make sure it was spotless. He couldn't really use it now that it was nearly out of ammunition but it could still scare a few people. And if he absolutely had to he could save himself with the last shot. He briefly looked up from the gun. He squinted as he saw a figure sprinting in the distance towards the house.

What are you doing back so early?" he yelled to her. Lyn came to a standstill outside the house, huffing and puffing before straightening up again, barely recovered.

"Dante what are you doing lazing around at a time like this?" she screamed excitedly.

"What do you mean 'lazing around'? I've done all the dishes and the house is spot..."

"Not that! The town square! There's an elf in the town square!"

Without asking any time wasting questions, Dante shoved his gun into its holster and checked that his knife was still with him before rushing off after Lyn who was already running back excitedly.

_An elf? For real? Why would an elf come all the way out here though? I've only ever seen one elf but even I know that they don't come out to the middle of nowhere villages. I don't think they'll be harmful if there are more of them but just in case..._

He gripped his dagger tighter to reassure himself it was still there. If there was a fight, there was no way any of them would escape alive, but he wasn't going to die without trying.

As they ran through the streets they passed row after row of empty houses. The villagers must have also got word of this elf. After a while they stopped in the city centre. What must have been the whole village was gathered there staring towards the town hall. Standing just outside it on the wooden stage was a raven haired traveller clad in a simple blue tunic and green trousers. Dante noticed instantly that something was off about him though. His face seemed to be angular and longer, similar to a cat's actually he stood tall and proud, more dignified than a king. The most prominent feature about him however were his two pointed ears standing straight as of proud. Two others dressed similarly were also with him, one male and one female, both with the same pointed ears. Dante felt a tingle go down his spine.

_An elf..._

Wherever there was an elf, something spectacular would always follow them, especially if there were three of them. Legends seemed to thrive off of them and Dante felt he was right in the middle of one. The elves looked around, noting not unkindly the general noise as everyone was recovering from the shock of an elf appearing before them. Finally, they stayed silent. The elf cleared his throat.

"Greetings," the raven haired one said simply, his voice flowing smoother than honey. From the first word everyone was enraptured, almost hypnotised. All of the women (with the exception of Lyn and Guinevere) looked as if they would faint and the men shifted uncomfortably. "I am Vanir, an ambassador to the races of Alageasia. These are my companions, Aragon and Wyrda," he said pointing to the man and lady respectively. "This may be alarming to you as I don't think you have ever had elves stop right inside your town. This was also a surprise stop for me. I didn't know that this town was still here as the map I used was quite outdated. I am sorry about this. However now that I am here I have something important to tell you. You should all know about the tales of the Dragon Riders, should you not?"

Everybody nodded their heads. There was nobody who _didn't _know about the riders.

"As you know, the Dragon Riders are a group of peacekeepers that keep order in Alageasia. They solve disputes, prevent wars, undertake dangerous tasks that normal men cannot perform and so on. The Dragon Riders are able to function due to the pact that the Dragon Rider forms with their dragon upon the dragon hatching. As you may or may not know, a dragon egg is entrusted to an ambassador of each species, elves, dwarves, urgals and humans to be spread across the land and to hopefully fall upon the person destined to be its rider. I have been travelling across the lands for years now, passing around dragon eggs until they finally hatch for its rider. So far I have seen several riders become born into history, but am not so important myself as to have that honour. Since I've stopped here, I've decided that this village deserves to see this!"

Vanir pulled out a purple stone almost exactly like Draco's egg from a rucksack that was hanging over his shoulder. This one had swirling spiral veins going through it instead of the rings and random lines that wove through Draco's egg. An audible gasp escaped the audience as they gazed upon the dragon egg. Dante couldn't help but catch his breath. Before he could actually think anything of this, he felt Draco's presence press against his mind. Unable to reply, he just sent him a picture of the scene and a brief summary of what Vanir had said. He could feel an overwhelming wave of excitement coming from Draco. Dante had to use every inch of his willpower to stop Draco from flying over to investigate.

_Not now when all these people are here! I'll call you later once they're gone._

As he expected, Draco cooled down and stayed put. He turned his attention back to the elf.

"This stone is a dragon egg," Vanir paused for impact as everyone began whispering and murmuring about the strange turn of events. "Dragons rarely entrust their eggs to riders and it is an honour for one who isn't a rider to even see one. The Dragon egg that shall hatch to a dragon rider will only hatch when it comes into contact with the one destined to be its rider. And this can be ANYONE in the whole of the land as long as they meet a certain age. So, I must ask that everyone between the ages of nine and thirty to step forward. There may be some small leeway to do with the ages but please understand that a rider cannot be sixty five years old and I hardly trust that a five year old would be very responsible either. Please step forward now.

After some shoving and pushing, they organised themselves into neat rows, the youngest in front and the eldest in the back. Those who were too young or old stayed far back, watching to see if their relatives would be picked. The youngsters stood up on the stage in a neat row. Vanir walked slowly between them, handing them the egg to hold for ten seconds. Each child grabbed tight hold of the egg with trembling hands, afraid they would drop it. Each time Vanir would finally take back the egg and shake his head slowly before walking on to the next child. Finally, the whole row was finished and they stepped back. Ten year olds stepped up next and went through the same process.

"How do they know if you're meant to be a rider?" Dante asked with mistrust.

"How should I know?" Lyn answered back, not really paying attention, but staring intently at the purple egg as it was passed from hand to hand. Once that row was done, they stepped down and were replaced with the eleven and twelve year olds. Then the thirteen year olds next. Finally, it was their turn. Dante kept thinking to himself about whether he should step up himself as he already had a dragon, or whether he should tell the elf about Draco.

"Dante, hurry up already!" Lyn said, urging Dante forward. Guinevere gave Lyn a pat on the shoulder for good luck but stayed back herself, waiting for her age group's turn. Dante and Lyn stepped up onto the stage along with the surprisingly small group of fourteen year olds. Vanir resumed his steady march, handing the egg to different people to see if they were fit to be riders. Dante checked that Lyn was still there. She stood relaxed and perfectly calm as if this wasn't such a big deal, but her face was covered with a thick layer of sweat. Finally, Vanir stopped before the pair of them.

This was the decisive moment.


	5. First Trial

**Wow I haven't updated this for generations haven't I? I was doing a lot of other stuff for a while when suddenly I got sick. Annoying... Alright, here goes nothing:**

**The Real Deal presents:**

**Piercing the Heavens!**

**Chapter 5: First Trial**

Dante stared up at Vanir, his facial features familiar yet completely alien to him having never seen an elf up close before. Vanir looked back with hard piercing eyes that could be terrifying, but also seemed to have some sort of gentleness. Not quite innocence, but a gentle curiosity. Vanir handed Dante the egg, who carefully took it more gently than he had ever held Draco's egg now knowing what lay inside. The egg shook gently in his arms, a slight pulsing that only he could feel, and then suddenly erupted in violent rocking. The whole crowd gasped in disbelief. Just as suddenly as it had started, it then stopped, becoming dead once more. Vanir frowned for a while and even more gently this time took the egg back.

"That is odd, none of the wards on this egg are broken, and so you are not its next rider. Even so there was a far more violent reaction than with most, riders or otherwise." Dante felt this odd prickling sensation in the back of his skull and scratched his head to be rid of it. Vanir's eyes narrowed as if he were looking inside of him. Dante edged away from Vanir, feeling the hairs on the nape of his neck rising in apprehension. All of a sudden, a series of memories flashed through Dante's mind seemingly at random. Raids, theft, murder, his family, but none more prominently than when he'd found Draco's egg and those times in the forest raising him, playing with him and making sure he was safe. All of them flashed through his head in a matter of seconds as Dante returned to the real world in a cold sweat. Suddenly, the familiar buzz of Draco's consciousness moved aside in his head and made way for another mind, more strange and threatening. The sound of children's laughter and sweet melodies drifted through his mind, lilting through his head like a small child lost in a forest.

_Explain to me why a dragon would take to you? _Dante heard, seemingly coming from the elf though his lips remained still and he walked off to test Lyn. Dante wasn't sure how to answer. He wasn't sure himself anyway.

Dante wondered to himself whether his mind was just read, trying to shut off the music dancing around him, enveloping his very being. _Yes, I read your mind child, be better prepared than that! _Dante would've jumped at the harsh reprimanding voice if he wasn't completely rooted to the spot. _You and I shall talk later._

The mental connection suddenly cut and the openness his mind had felt suddenly collapsed in on itself as he retreated to the solitude of his mind. It took him a few seconds to readjust himself to his environment. He looked up at Vanir and whatever emotions he had felt from him at first were locked up behind an emotionless mask. Draco poked at his mind questioningly but Dante brushed it aside, unwilling to open his mind again. He focused on Lyn again. Lyn stared at the egg in her hands with wide nervous eyes. A bead of sweat trickled slowly down her brow as she stared down at the smooth polished egg in her hands. Her eyes closed for a moment as she regained control of her breathing. When she opened them again they were calm and relaxed. The egg shook gently in her hands like it had done so many times now, not signalling anything. Vanir stared long and hard at the egg, as if certain that something was amiss.

"This egg is... different... I'm not sure why though. You two... you did something to this egg that you should not have." Vanir's voice remained calm and even the whole time, without so much as a tremble in it. Dante dug his thumb into his belt, as if ready to pull out his dagger. He would do no such thing. The elf in his calm and serene manner was like a storm in the distance, waiting to let loose his thunder. Dante had seen what elves could do and had no wish to tango with this one, but still he held his hand near his dagger.

"This egg is..." Vanir let loose a tiny smile. "I believe it's taken a liking to you." A wire thin crack appeared on the egg shell. The whole gathering gasped in disbelief. Lyn stared at the egg with wide eyes. The crack stretched along the surface of the egg, becoming more and more defined with more cracks joining it. A small section of the eggs surface rose and fell to the side. A small head poked out the side of the egg. Vanir smiled genuinely as Lyn stared in complete disbelief. "It looks like the next Dragon Rider has been decided. Congratulations..."

"Gwendolyn," she said in a hushed strained voice.

"Gwendolyn. That is an unusual name. You have been chosen as the next Dragon Rider!" The crowd erupted into jubilant cheers, the remaining teenagers still on stage even getting swept up in the feeling, not certain whether to be dejected about not being able to be riders or to celebrate somebody from their village being chosen. The crowd rushed up to try and see the dragon up close. Vanir simply stepped in front of her and as if by magic, they all stopped. "Please, restrain yourselves for the dragon is young! You will startle it!" Lyn slowly lowered the egg to the floor and out of it the hatchling crawled, with wet sticky scales. They were a pale purple, not startling or dazzling in the slightest as the dragon was too young to have grown into them. The purple dragon looked up at Lyn with its violet eyes with a lack of comprehension. It yawned and let out a small squeak. The gathered crowd all leaned closer, parents holding children on their shoulders. Amazingly, something Dante would've thought impossible, they remained silent, but whether it was due to respect or fear, he couldn't tell. Dante stood next to Lyn and stared down at the dragon, remembering the day when Draco hatched in his lap. A kind of feeling of contentment seeped into his mind, soaking it like a sponge He couldn't help but to smile as the hatchling nibbled at Lyn's foot questioningly. Lyn made to pick it up.

"Hey Lyn, careful, you'll get a burn on your hand!" Dante said jokingly.

"Ha-ha, very funny," Lyn said. The dragon was beginning to fall asleep as they weren't interesting it. Lyn reached out her hands to pick it up. Her right hand brushed against the dragon's thigh. Instantly, the dragon's eyes snapped open in rage. A bone-chilling cold passed through her hand and up her arm, cold enough to burn and filled with power. A wave of wind pushed Lyn backwards over. The crowd all gasped and shuffled forward before the elders calmed them down, maybe due to a fear that something would happen to them. Dante edged forward slightly to peer at Lyn, his hand resting on his dagger. Vanir made no move to check what was wrong. Lyn sat back up, blinked twice, and stared at her hand as if checking it was still attached. Lyn's arm started trembling, barely noticeable at first, then more violently. Slowly, she turned her hand outwards for everyone else to see, not trusting her own tongue to speak. Set in the palm of her hand was a glowing silvery green spiral marking, curving clockwise outwards and pulsing with a hidden power. Dante stared in disbelief, unsure what had just happened.

"That, is a marking of a Dragon Rider," Vanir said softly. "I should have warned you first but it doesn't matter. When a dragon hatchling that is to be bound with a rider is born, the first person to touch it is blessed with a silver marking on the palm of their hand to indicate the dragon-rider bond they share. That is a gëdwey ignasia or shining palm. I can tell you more about it on another date but do not be too alarmed. It is an honour that few people are granted to receive this mark. Bear it well. Now come."

Vanir stepped off the stage followed by the other two elves who had accompanied him. Lyn hesitated, unsure what to do, then picked up the tiny infant dragon and followed him off. The second her foot touched the earth off of the stage, the crowd all swarmed around her, the mothers all fawning over her, the elders and healers offering to inspect her hand, the young all hoping to pet the dragon and hopefully get a mark themselves. The dragon looked up at all the commotion with wide curious eyes, unsure of what was going on but relishing in the attention. However, anybody who got to close got what was supposed to be a fearsome growl, but turned out as a cute rumbling noise. Dante stepped between Lyn and the crowd trying to give her and the dragon space as they slipped inside the town hall.

. . .

The door shut behind them. Dante let out an audible sigh of relief. The other two elves had mysteriously disappeared in the crowd at some point and the remainder of the villagers had all gone off to their own business. The excitement of the morning still lingered in the air and any who were still curious couldn't enter the locked door, and not even an expert pickpocket could break through these locks that now seemed almost enchanted. Lyn no longer looked so shocked and was now feeding the dragon carefully, the way Dante had once done. The purple dragon stared at everything curiously in utter silence. Dante immediately noticed that it was nothing like Draco. Draco was loud and energetic, going places where he shouldn't go. In that sense, he was a bit like Dante himself. This dragon however was different. This one was different however. It was more reserved and quiet, soaking in the knowledge around it instead of directly getting involved.

The dragon took another chunk of meat from out of Lyn's fingers before resting its head on her lap contentedly. Lyn let out a small half smile as it seemed to purr almost.

"I can't believe it," Lyn said quietly.

"Neither can I," Dante commented. Lyn glared at him for a moment before returning her attention to the dragon.

"I'm actually a Dragon Rider. A real Dragon Rider! I have my own dragon! This is a dream isn't it? Just an illusion."

"There's no trick here," Vanir said, making his presence in the room known. "This dragon chose you of all the people in Alagaësia. The gedwëy ignasia on your palm is proof of that. You cannot deny this honour nor can you take lightly of it, but we have other matters to attend to." As if on cue, the front door unlocked and the other two elves stepped inside and stood before them. Standing behind them were Lyn's parents and Guinevere. As usual, Guinevere looked only vaguely interested and Lyn's mother had a tiny forlorn smile on her face. Contrary to his wife, Lyn's father instead had his arms crossed with a bright cheery smile that showed even through his beard, his cheeks crinkled and his chest puffed up in pride. A few village elders also entered the small town hall and one elderly man with a drooping moustache emerged from a door in the back of the room leading to the town hall's inner depths, all of these men with less hair on their heads than on Lyn's father's large bushy beard.

"I couldn't be more proud of you Lyn!" the bearded man said, getting her in a bone crunching hug.

"Father... you're crushing me!" Lyn gasped until she was released. "But father, I didn't really _do _anything special. The dragon was the one who picked me."

"Nonsense!" he exclaimed, speaking rapidly. "You didn't have to. That dragon judged your character perfectly and just knew that you were special! You'll be a true hero! Err... heroine! _And _while you're away, it will be great advertisement for business! There will be people riding in from all over the country before the month is out! Remember, there will be bandits and pirates and there are even reports of a Shade so you have to watch yourself. Stick close to your dragon and even those elves and remember most important of all; _get more customers! _No, don't think about that actually, just remember that whatever happens, we're proud of you, me and your mother that is. I've already packed all the things you'll need for your journey; it's all up to you now. Just ask us anything you need and we'll help, all of us. The whole village will help in any way they can if you just so much as wink at them. Anyone would love to accompany you..." All the information bombarding her was almost too much for her. She took a deep breath.

"Wait, father, you've packed my things already?"

"Why of course!" boomed the normally reserved man. "When did you think I would, next month?"

"At the very least, yes! Am I leaving now? Like right now?" Before the great man could begin speaking again, Lyn's mother cut in.

"Not right now but, that's what we were here to talk to you about," she said, slowly as if holding back her words.

"Indeed, this is why we were sent to fetch them and the village elders," Wyrda said, speaking for the first time. "You see, a Dragon Rider has a responsibility to uphold in the land and it is no mean feat keeping the peace between all of the species of Alagaësia. It requires intensive training and the very best education from the very best the land has to offer, and without trying to offend, this village will not have that. You will soon have to leave here as soon as the dragon is old enough to make the trip to your first tutors in the north. Normally you wouldn't leave here until the next full moon as your dragon grows powerful enough to carry you across the vast distances required to be covered but right now is a special occasion."

"What's wrong?" Dante asked making himself heard.

"Two things," Vanir picked up from his comrade. "The first is the Shade. There have been reports that one has been sighted nearby. Shades have a way of knowing about things when they shouldn't. Within the next few days if it truly is nearby or if the rumours are not just rumours, it will most certainly know that we are here. It would be a bad thing to attract the Shade to this village. I am certain if we three combat it we could defeat it, or at the very least allow you, Lyn, to escape. However, if we meet it in the village or the town centre there will undoubtedly be casualties. I would rather have it meet us alone on the road so then even if we all die, the villagers may have some more time before someone powerful enough to slay it can arrive. The second, is you." Vanir pointed a finger at Dante.

"Me?"

"Yes, you. I believe that you have befriended a very peculiar ally." Dante let out a sly half smile.

"So the truth is out I see. Yes, I'm also a Dragon Rider!" Dante exclaimed, trying to seem heroic. One of the elves couldn't help but let out what seemed like the beginnings of a laugh while the other humans gasped in surprise. Guinevere who never really trusted him quite simply raised an eyebrow.

"You, a rider?" Vanir said almost mockingly. "I'm sorry, that is not possible."

"What are you talking about‽" Dante asked. "You can even meet Draco yourself!" As he said that, he tried extending his consciousness to Draco. Surprisingly, he felt it even nearer than he thought. Suddenly, all of the breath left his lungs as he was flattened onto the ground, lying on his front. An immense weight crushed his back, pinning him to the ground. Gasps all arose from the people gathered there, Lyn's father screaming "My word!" Dante pushed his entire mind up against Draco, knowing he couldn't remove him physically.

_Let, me, go Draco!_

He felt Draco let him go as he realised that Dante was about to black out. Dante got unsteadily back on his feet. "And thus we have Draco! Draco, these are the village elders, I've told you about them already. These, are the elves, Vanir, Wyrda and... that guy, Eradon."

"Aragon," the third elf said with slight annoyance.

"Yes, him. I guess now you believe me that I'm just as much of a rider as her! Not that it matters anyway, I wouldn't waste my time locked up in a temple or something of the sort."

"No, you're still not a rider," Vanir said, not the least bit fazed.

"But he _does _have a dragon," the main elder stated recovering from the shock of seeing a dragon burst into the town hall. "Isn't he a rider as well?"

"He probably stole the dragon somewhere," Guinevere stated flatly. Dante shot a mean look at her. She couldn't be any closer to the truth.

"Regardless of what occurred, you are not a Dragon Rider," Vanir said flatly.

"How so?"

"Observe, when the purple dragon hatched for Lyn, she obtained a silver marking on her palm known to most as a gëdwey ignasia. Every single Dragon Rider is given a mark such as this and few others have been known to receive it. The original Dragon Rider aside, there is no Dragon Rider who cannot have this mark. You are the only one. Quite simply, if you do not have it then your dragon did not choose you. It was just unfortunate enough to end up in your care. If you do not wish to believe me then tell me first, why would a dragon wish to ally itself with someone like you?" Dante could not answer. He knew there was little reason for such a bond. Lyn on the other hand at least held some form of justice or moral code, while all he had done was kill and steal for a living.

"I didn't think you would have an answer," Vanir continued smirking. "You could not be a hero. Now tell me, 'Dragon Rider' just where you found this egg? I do not believe somebody would have willingly given it to you." Dante tried rapidly thinking up a story but then remembered Vanir going through his memories. There was no point lying now.

"I... stole it." The villagers all gasped except for Lyn's father, Lyn herself and Guinevere. The other two elves looked down in disappointment. "I didn't know it was a dragon egg at the time, and it wasn't exactly my fault either. I had to return with something of worth or else..." he stopped there. Even saying that, he still betrayed the Captain in the end so stealing the egg was pointless if he claimed he had no choice. He had every choice. He could have unhitched the ship and joined the guard defending against the pirates. He was only a swabbie, his bounty was probably so insignificant compared to that of the Captain's that they'd easily forgive him if he killed the Captain, but now that Teirm had been practically destroyed and he had escaped with his life _and _a dragon egg, his bounty would have skyrocketed.

"You stole the egg. That's all I need to hear," Vanir said contentedly. "A dragon egg destined for a rider is always under the guard of either another rider or an elf or urgal. There is little chance of any ordinary person getting hold of one. A wild dragon egg is different. Nobody really knows all the locations wild dragons go to bear their young, so they could be anywhere the dragon deems safe. If so, an urgal or elf who lives in Teirm could with a bit of luck, steal the egg from right under its mother. Even more peculiar, wild dragons only hatch when food is plentiful. Tell me, where did you hide the egg?"

"In a barrel of wine..." Dante could feel the disgust radiating off of the other two elves but Vanir merely seemed amused.

"A barrel of wine, surrounded by a beverage. That egg was unintentionally _deceived _into a false sense of security, in a powerful ship surrounded by food. This egg only hatched by luck. You are not in any way special, 'Draco' is not safe with a child such as yourself." Dante stayed silent, unsure what to say or do. What he had said had made sense, and keeping Draco was actually going to prove difficult if he became a pirate again. "Just one final thing though, a dragon is not like a human or elf that is given a name at birth. You normally allow a dragon to choose its own name once it is old enough to understand the concept of a name. What you have done giving Draco a name, even if only temporary is an offence to their intelligence." Dante lowered his head and rested his hand on Draco.

_Draco... is it true I'll have to leave you already? I can't accept that so easily._

"We shall be leaving before the week is out," Wyrda said to Lyn. "Say your goodbyes now as it will not be for a long time that you return to this village. Not until you can travel the land freely and your dragon is grown enough to carry you." Lyn gazed in the faces of the people gathered there, understanding the reason for the solemn looks in their faces from the beginning, but now many of them had their attention turned to Dante. The village had a no-tolerance policy towards thieves, if they knew as much of Dante's story as she did, he would not be allowed to stay another day. Lyn took a deep breath. She had little choice in this matter as when to leave.

"Alright, before the week is out. But one thing first. I believe, that any new information we have learnt here should stay here. The village is in enough excitement without the little ones learning of a second dragon." Dante's spirits lifted as he realised she had just saved him from having to face the whole village about his shifty past. He gave her a quick wink, but she paid it no mind.

"Well then, I suggest you get some rest," Vanir said as he opened the door to leave. "It will not be long before you set out. Enjoy yourself while you can."

. . .

The pale moonlight shone through the trees onto the undergrowth below, the eyes of nocturnal hunters scanning the ground for prey. Dante sat in the boughs of Draco's tree staring up at the moon above. He pulled out his dagger and held it up against the moonlight.

_So I'm not a rider huh? It's not like I ever wanted to be one, but now what am I going to do? I wanted to be in the navy, I wanted to be the most famous naval officer ever, to sail further than everyone else. I guess that can't happen anymore._

Dante turned his head to face Draco. Draco's chest rose and fell steadily, a low humming coming from him. Dante smiled a little. "Hmph, who cares what those elves say? I never listened to authority before and I won't start now! Draco, you and me will take over the seas ourselves won't we?" Draco lifted his head slightly with a happy look in his face.

"**Brisingr!" **Red hot flames erupted all around him, the trees bursting into flames and toppling over. Dante and Draco both flew out of the tree house, sent sprawling on the dirt. Dante got up on uneasy legs and pulled out his dagger. Draco lay on the ground unmoving.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Dante screamed as he yanked his pistol out of his belt. The soft sound of boots crunching against leaves joined in the crackling of the forest fire. Dante gripped his dagger tighter as he scanned his surroundings. The whole clearing had been practically wiped out, with nothing but charred wood and burning bushes left. Smoke began to fill the area, threatening to block out the air. The hair on the nape of his neck stood on end. The crunch of the footsteps grew louder as they got closer. Dante sidled over to Draco. Draco simply got up with a growl, his eyes burning with rage. The footsteps stopped. A figure stood, obscured in the smoke. Dante's eyes widened, first shock, and then complete and utter terror. There was no question about it. The blood red hair, the ruby red eyes, the skin as pale as milk, it was certain now.

"Are you... a shade?" Dante asked with a tremble in his voice. The shade was just like the stories told of them, only this one was younger, no older than ten and five years, and it's face wasn't nearly so ghastly. She was dressed all in black with a red coat on top, her arms not inside the sleeves.

_Perhaps this shade is weaker than normal? Maybe that's why it looks less monstrous? Nevertheless, a shade is a shade and I can't underestimate it!_

The shade smiled, and then sized up Dante and Draco. She took a look around at the fire, admiring her handiwork. "Hey... answer me! You are a shade aren't you?" He took a step back and pulled out his gun. The shade glanced at the gun briefly and gave Dante a disconcerting smile.

"What do you think you'll do with that?" she asked. Dante didn't respond. The shade simply shrugged her shoulders and began approaching Dante. "Either way, I really should be going somewhere. Step aside." Dante didn't hesitate, scrambling back towards the village as fast as he could, not knowing or caring whether Draco was there with him or not. A fine array of cuts and scratches lined his face as the tree branches and thorns got in his way. Dante briefly looked back, but Draco was nowhere to be seen. Panic clutched at Dante's chest.

_Draco! Where are you? _Dante called out to him, both physically and mentally relying more on their psychic connection. He felt an immense pressure on his chest and instinctively knew Draco was in danger. Dante swore loudly to himself and backtracked through the forest to where the Shade was, and likely Draco.

Draco was still blocking the Shade's path, glaring at the shade with venom, his red eyes burning into her. The shade was unmoved.

"Is this the dragon? I thought it had just hatched, what's it doing at this size already?" Draco charged. The shade pointed her finger at Draco. "Letta." Draco stopped dead on the spot. Draco's eyes widened in surprise, then flared in anger as he tried wriggling his way out of the spell, clawing through the dirt fruitlessly with his wings flapping furiously. "Thrysta." Draco was sent hurling backwards, straight into the oak tree that held the tree house. "Thrysta," the shade said again. Draco pressed harder against the tree, his chest being crushed under the immense force. The air left Draco's lungs with a wheeze. The shade uttered the word again and this time the whole tree collapsed as Draco ripped straight through it, then laid on the ground, his chest heaving. The treehouse collapsed all around him, a massive branch trapping the helpless dragon. "I'll admit, you've got guts, but guts will just get you killed when you're up against a shade. I'd say you should learn from this but you've annoyed me so you won't have a chance to... hmm?" The shade brought two fingers up, trapping the thin blade of a knife between them, just before it could have the chance to embed itself in the side of her face. The shade turned to the source of the blade and spied Dante, frozen to the spot, his hand extended from flinging the knife.

"You wouldn't give that back would you?" he said half-jokingly, a tremble clear in his voice. A quick glint of metal flashed through the air, Dante barely having time to dodge it as the blade shot right back at him at twice the speed he'd thrown it. He yanked out his gun, realising too late that he should have used it from the beginning. Before he could even fire, it was flying out of his hand from a kick to his hand. Another swift kick landed itself in Dante's stomach. He doubled over in pain, then despite his body's protests, rolled over to the side. He dived forward at the shade, arms extended, but was stopped in midair by a powerful hand at his throat. He struggled in vain as he was raised up in the air.

"I can't believe you're so weak!" she laughed. "This is hopeless, just give up now. Because I think you're cute and have got guts I'll spare you. Maybe." Dante smiled.

"You think I'd give up when my friend is in danger?" he choked. "I have too few of them to let Draco go like that! I'll even fight a demon like you for his sake!"

"Kid, now you've done it!" She muttered a few words under her breathe and a green knife floated up out of her cloak. Dante kicked her wildly to no effect. The horrifying scene before his eyes before his eyes began to swim as his oxygen deprived brain began to fade out of conciousness. He shut his eyes tight, awaiting the consequences of defeat; the cold steel of death.


	6. Blades

**Hey everybody! First, I really must say, sorry for taking so long to update my chapters. No excuses here, it happens. I'll try a bit harder now but no promises. Second, thank you so much everyone who reviewed! I really should've replied to them all but it kept slipping my mind, worrying about stuff. Anyway, from now on I'll take the time to reply to everything, and remember, constructive criticism much appreciated! Now,**

**This is the real deal presents:**

**Piercing the Heavens!**

**Chapter 6: Blades and beginnings**

Dante choked under the grip of the shade as the dagger floated closer to his head. The shade grinned at him.

"Your death would please me to no end, so accept it already!" she said. Dante closed his eyes as he awaited his death, his last thought being of Draco. Just when he though he was finished, the shade released her grip on his neck and the floating dagger clattered to the ground harmlessly. Dante collapsed on the ground in a coughing fit as she let out a cry of pain, clutching her arm. An arrow protruded from her arm just below the elbow. Blood dripped to the ground. She turned to the source of the arrow enraged. There stood Lyn, her bow quivering, her eyes hard and determined.

"_I'm _the one who's going to kill that boy, so you better watch yourself," she growled menacingly. The shade's eyes flared in rage.

"Who are _you_ to think you can yell at _me?_" she said.

"No, who are _you_ to destroy_ my treehouse?_" Lyn shouted back. Dante rolled to the side, picking his gun back up and the Shade's green dagger before scrambling to his feet. He looked from Lyn to the shade.

"Lyn, get outta here, that's a shade you're dealing with!" Dante screamed. "You can't beat it!"

"Well neither can you!" she shot back. "But more importantly, Draco's in trouble. I don't think Draco will appreciate it if we leave now." Draco was still underneath the massive branch, completely unconscious. Flames licked around him, blocking any air from reaching his lungs and creeping ever closer to Draco's body. As Dante looked around, he saw the flames surrounding the clearing, trapping them. The shade plucked the arrow from her arm and muttered a short spell, the wound healing instantly.

"So it's now two on one?" she asked with a small smile. "Care to add another to your ranks and make it even?"

"What're you trying to say?" Dante asked, his foot unconsciously edging backwards."

"I'm just saying that no matter how many of you attack me, you cannot possibly..." she was interrupted as Lyn launched forward, swinging her bow at the Shade's head. The blow narrowly missed the top of her head as she ducked beneath it before she aimed a kick to Lyn's side. Lyn jumped backwards, getting replaced by Dante who charged forward with the dagger. The Shade easily sidestepped the blow, knocking Dante off balance with a disorienting chop to the back of his neck. Expecting a counter from Lyn, she wheeled around and thrust her open palms into Lyn's stomach faster than should have been physically possible. Before Lyn could even register the pain she had her legs swept from underneath her, sending her to the floor. The Shade turned around yet again to find she was facing down the barrel of DC's gun.

"Skolir!" she shouted just before the gun could go off. Instead of the numerous pellets shredding through her face, they instead bounced right off of her and were sent backwards, ripping through the trees. Dante felt the searing heat and pain of the shells as one passed just along his cheek, letting blood dribble down his face. Dante stepped backwards in shock.

_No way... Not even my gun works on her! It's like she's made of steel! _Dante had no time to think of much else as he felt his ribs snap as she said another spell. Everything around him flashed white as the pain overwhelmed all his other senses. He doubled over in pain, screaming in agony. Not even given time to rest, he received a hard punt to his face, getting sent somersaulting across the clearing, swallowing a mouthful of blood and dirt as he scraped across the ground, grinding to a halt just short of the ever increasing flames. Lyn got back up on shaky legs, pushing herself up off the floor on her knuckles. Dante also lifted his head at the same time, coughing up blood as he did so. Lyn stood up again, not willing to be defeated, just to be floored again by a punch.

"I have to help Lyn... I have to so that I can save Draco. I can't..." Dante's vision began to blur as he tried to get up. The increasing amount of smoke clogging up his lungs did little to help. He felt the soft step of a boot on forest floor next to his face. Following up the pair of legs, he saw the face of his victor. Her red eyes stared back down at his with a kind of terrible beauty, her eyes showing a faint glint of enjoyment.

"I'll admit, you two did surprise me once you started working together, but your power is insignificant when compared to mine. It was mildly entertaining dueling with you. But now I must go. I have a village to raze. Goodbye!" She gave him a wink before turning on a heel to the forest entrance in the direction of the village. Before she could take a single step, she raised two fingers up to her face, barely stopping the arrow that was speeding towards her forehead. She tossed the arrow aside and reached for the sword that was by her side, until now unneeded. She pulled out a simple single edged broadsword from its hilt. A vein on her neck bulged as her face was plastered over with a frown as if she was in intense concentration. Dante watched the spectacle in confusion, unable to move due to his aching bones.

Vanir stepped out from the bushes in front of her, a silver sword expertly crafted in his right hand. From beside him came the other two elves, Wyrda holding a bow in her hand, and Aragon armed with a sword much like Vanir's. Both elves appeared calm on the surface, but their eyes were strained in concentration. Vanir ran towards the shade, his sword ready to thrust into her throat. He let out a battle cry as he thrust forward like lightning. The blow was deftly swept aside at the last possible moment. In that instant as the blow was parried, the other two elves cried out in pain, clutching their heads as they lost their struggle.

The Shade cried out the magic word, brisingr, illuminating the blade in black and red flames. In a series of burning strokes too fast for the human eye, sent forth her barrage in a frenzy as if she were a chaotic shooting star. Vanir deflected every one of the attacks with an expertise rarely seen, but it didn't save him from the burns he received in the process. The next series of thrusts and parries were far too quick for anybody, even the elves to follow. Finally, in an immense attack, the shade slashed upwards, Vanir blocking the attack but still getting sent backwards from the blow, the very ground beneath the slash being cleaved to form a small fissure. The other two elves had by now collapsed on the floor unconscious. The shade shot off after Vanir who wasn't letting any pain show through his emotionless expression. Once Dante was sure that the two combatants had travelled a far enough distance from him and they were too consumed by the battle to notice him, he stood up, trying his best to ignore his ribs and untied the bandana from his head. He wrapped it around his face like a mask, using it to filter the smoke. He walked unsteadily to where Draco lay underneath the branch. He stroked his heaving chest, sending any kind of reassurance to him.

_It's alright Draco, _he said. _I'm here now. I'll get you out of this so just stay calm._

_Dante..._ he heard back as the strained reply. Dante reeled back in shock momentarily as he heard Draco's first ever word, especially considering he didn't know dragons could talk till then. He then hugged Draco's neck before working on pulling the branch off. He pulled at the branch with all his might to no avail, then pushed, ignoring the sharp pain through his chest and the licking flames as panic began to set in. Draco stirred upon sensing Dante's distress before Dante soothed him back to rest, sending him mental images of the deep blue sea that Dante loved so much.

"Idiot, step aside," Lyn said harshly, pushing Dante aside roughly. Before Dante could protest, she grabbed the branch and began pulling with all her might, the strain on her visible as veins popped on her arms and neck. With a shout, she flung the burning branch off of Draco finally, sending embers into the air as it crashed on the ground, lighting the grass nearby. Dante gaped in disbelief.

"Where did that power come from?!" Dante screamed, imagining what would happen if that force was applied against him. "You weren't that strong when you fought me!" Lyn simply turned around and shrugged her shoulders.

"Inner strength?" They then both proceeded to pull Draco away from the flames and hopefully towards the village. Before they could take more than a few steps they heard a bloodcurdling scream coming from the shade. They hesitated momentarily and peered through the bushes into where they heard it coming from. The shade stepped out from behind the trees, clutching her side in pain. Vanir followed, his sword bloodied and his left arm hanging limply by his side. With his remaining good arm, he thrust forward with all his might into the shade's chest, but she knocked the blade aside clumsily. Vanir aimed a powerful strike at her neck with the last of his strength, and this time the shade had no power left to counter. With the flash of the blade, she was beheaded, falling to the ground limply before her body became engulfed in a puff of smoke and vanished from view. Vanir waved the smoke away with a short spell and stabbed at the ground, but his sword just connected with the soft ground as her body was nowhere in sight. Vanir exhaled deeply and crouched down on the ground. He winced as his arm jarred as he sat down. Dante and Lyn jogged as fast as they could while carrying Draco towards Vanir.

"Vanir! Did you beat it?" Lyn asked before getting cut off by Dante.

"Draco's hurt! He tried fighting the shade on his own and... She was too powerful for us! His breathing is all wrong, I don't know if..." Vanir held up two fingers to silence him. He slowly got up and inspected Draco's wounds.

"It's not too serious. I can heal some of the minor injuries here on the spot, but we should get him somewhere safe first. I must also tend to my comrades." Seemingly effortlessly, he picked up Draco and carried him a few steps before Wyrda revealed herself from the forest. She said a few words in a foreign language and Vanir simply replied by shaking his head. Aragon then emerged from the forest as well, his pain less well concealed as his eyes seemed to flicker and he rubbed his head in pain. He conversed with Vanir who replied yet again the same way. Aragon's face frowned in irritation as he said something that seemed like a question he knew the answer to already. Vanir said something else at which point Aragon rubbed his temples in distress.

"We'll talk about this later," he said in human tongue before glancing at the dragon. "Draco needs help, quickly." At seeeing Draco, Aragon's frown deepened.

"Boy, you are not taking very good care of Draco. Were you running away?"

"It wasn't like that!" Dante said defensively. "It was like I was forced to run, I wouldn't let anything happen to Draco, that's why I came back, and why I fought the Shade! I..." Dante stopped talking. He knew he sounded like a coward and it was true, he was. Even Lyn would be looking at him with disdain.

"No Aragon you're wrong," Lyn said to Dante's surprise. "Dante fought his hardest there to save Draco, and he's taken enough care raising Draco to be called a mother! I don't think even scum like him should be blamed for Draco's injuries."

"Lyn..." Dante felt a wave of gratitude well up inside him. Aragon remained silent and Vanir simply nodded his head.

"Alright, lets see Draco's injuries."

...

Finally after a week of preperations, the party was ready to set off. Lyn's father had been nice enough to forge Dante new bullets and the elves had provided some very strange and fine green gunpowder. The purple dragon had settled down on Lyn's shoulder now and gotten comfortable. Draco, now being too large for that, was standing by Dante's side, eyeing the purple hatchling. The whole village had gathered to see them off, and many had a tear in their eyes. By unspoken consent, Dante had been allowed to accompany them due to his attachment to Draco. Vanir stared hard at Draco for some time.

"This is odd..." he murmered. Dante looked at him quizically. "You say Draco said your name, correct? If so he should be talking frequently now, evenif it's not very well." Dante shrugged his shoulders.

"Who cares? We understand eachother perfectly anyway, words just get in the way." Draco snorted in approval. "Well, shall we leave then?"

"Wait!" Lyn's father stepped forward with his hands behind his back. "Lyn, the road you will take is dangerous, and you will face many trials. As you know, I was commisioned to make a weapon worthy of defeating a Shade, and so I hand you this." He presented to he a thin curved sword with a gleeming razor sharp edge. It had only one edge instead of two but that edge seemed capable of cutging the air. The hilt was covered with a soft blue and yellow fabric in a diamond pattern. Lyn gasped in delight, her eyes welling up. "This was a failed prototype, but it is still my greatest and most beautiful creation. This weapon shall put the fabled riders swords to shame I tell you! Now go, and make us proud, my daughter."

Lyn could scarcely control herself as she leaped up and hugged her father, sobbing into his neck in both joy and sorrow. The sight of it sent pangs to Dante's heart as he thought of his family, how it would never again be like Lyn's and had to brush a tear away.

"Now this is over, can we go?" Dante asked impatiently. Lyn released her father, pulling away from his beard which was now wet with tears.

"Y-yeah." Lyn hopped towards Dante and said one more goodbye before they set off. The town waved them off as they walked off into the Spine, Lyn waving her new blade as if it signalled a new beginning. All that stood in their way now, was the Spine...


	7. First Glimpse at the Future

**Chapter 7: First glimpse at the future**

Dante slowly opened his eyes, his head still feeling groggy and disoriented. He wanted nothing more than to continue sleeping, the rough leaves and old blanket feeling like a feather bed at the moment, but something had roughly nudged him in the side. He thought for a second, and then rolled over to sleep. Something nudged him again.

"Leave me alone..." he mumbled. A violent shove finally pushed him out of the bed, snapping him awake with a yelp. From the ground where he lay, he glared at Draco with fury. "Draco, what was that for?" Draco sent him a mental image of Lyn and Vanir walking off without them with the purple dragon trailing behind. Dante scrambled to his feet in a hurry, searching the woods for his dagger, his gun already by his side as he'd slept with it. "Aw no, they left without me again! Why didn't you say so‽"

_Your snoring blocked out my thoughts, _Draco said, sending a wave of annoyance along with it. Dante shrugged, then found his dagger, along with the green one he'd acquired from the shade. They'd been on the road for a few weeks now. Aragon and Wyrda had chosen to stay behind to keep the village safe from the shade.

"But hadn't you killed the shade?" Lyn had initially asked. "We saw you decapitate it." Vanir shook his head with a small smile.

"No. Sometimes I forget that not all humans can get a good education. Especially with the background you came from. A shade is incredibly difficult to kill. They have incredible strength and huge life spans, maybe even being immortal. They can always use magic, and there is almost no way to kill them. A particularly nasty trick they have is the ability to regenerate once killed. If you injure a shade with a mortal wound such as a stab through the brain or beheading, they don't truly die, but rather they instead scatter and regenerate again elsewhere, sometimes becoming stronger from the process. It is an incredibly painful process and no shade ever wants to go through it. That shade was slightly weaker than normal for some reason but nevertheless, she was a formidable opponent. She will return, and surely she will want revenge."

Dante spread his consciousness outwards across the forest, having already mastered this skill due to Draco's strange wild psychic connection. He picked up Lyn's signature strong willed mind, which quickly recoiled from his touch, though could not defend itself. Where Vanir should have been however was simply a void, as if there was nothing in existence there. Even if Dante knew how to, he wouldn't have been able to break into his mind. Following the direction of their minds, he set off at a run through the forest, Draco blundering on behind him. They emerged from the forest finally to find Lyn seated at a rock with the purple dragon beside her. Vanir was standing next to her and they were looking over a breathtaking view of a large valley. Exotic trees lined the sides of the valley, seemingly alien to the whole mountain range as if they were placed there by magic, growing sideways out of the rocks and between cracks. Strange pairs of eyes poked out of the treetops, staring out at the party with large glistening eyes. A crystal blue river ran down the centre of the valley, meandering as it made its way out towards the plains, and then the sea. The sun was high above in the sky, partially concealed by a fat, lazy rolling cloud drifting through the sky like a great ship in the sea. Dante took a few steps towards the Cliffside where they sat, getting a sense of nostalgia as he remembered stopping on islands similar to this valley from when he was a pirate. He sat down by Lyn and stared across at the valley, admiring the view.

"So you're finally awake," Lyn said. "We were hoping that you wouldn't wake up."

"Believe me, I wouldn't if it wasn't for this overgrown lizard over here," he said elbowing Draco. Draco blew a puff of hot air into Dante's face, who then feigned smelling an overwhelming stench. "Draco! Your breath is foul! It smell is beyond disgusting!"

_At least I don't permanently smell of dead fish, _Draco replied.

"Completely not true! But even so, I couldn't just leave you to go off on your own. You still owe me a rematch!" Just as soon as Dante said this, two sticks were thrown towards Dante and Lyn. Lyn caught her stick easily while Dante took the stick to his head, knocking him to the floor.

"Well you may just get your chance today," Vanir said. "Training. Normally I wouldn't teach you until you reached the first of your tutors. I wouldn't want to get in the way of your training, but now it's a bit different with the shade running around the Spine. Now get ready." Dante stared at the stick in his hand. It was crudely shaped like a sword, a handle carved into it.

"That is why my father gave me this sword!" Lyn shouted, pulling out her sword from its sheath. Vanir took it from her hands, his own hands moving like lightning, snatching the sword before she could even realize what had happened. "H-hey! Give that back!"

"You'll lop your arms off like that," Vanir said. "Until you can learn how to use a sword, I will keep this safe." Lyn protested shortly before she was silenced by a hard glare Vanir gave her. He inspected the blade with a frown before he then took its sheath and placed them on his hip to the right, opposite of his own blade on the left. "Now, I need to know how good you are first. For lack of a better suited opponent, you shall spar with Dante."

"And what is _that _supposed to mean?" Dante asked with an arched eyebrow. Ignoring the comment, Vanir continued.

"Now, are you ready?" The two of them stepped away from each other and turned to face each other, the dragons and Vanir providing an audience. Dante gripped his wooden sword as best as he could, staring Lyn in the eyes, hoping to unnerve her in some way. Lyn wasn't fazed in the slightest, glaring back with a steely determination. Dante had never had very much experience with a sword, and even less without his gun, but all a sword was in the end was a really big knife right? He could deal with that. "Fight!"

Dante lurched forward with his stick, surprising Lyn who thought that they'd have a calculating stare down as they tried to decipher each other's moves. As far as Dante was concerned, that didn't exist. The faster one wins when it comes to guns, so he'd apply that with his stick. Lyn blocked a powerful strike to her head and struck back. Dante parried the blow and back stepped, too used to long-ranged combat where he would create distance. Lyn swung her stick towards Dante's head. Dante ducked beneath the strike just to see it was a feint. Too late, he received a sharp rap to his ribs followed by a shoulder thrust to his stomach. Dante doubled over, and then rolled to the side, barely avoiding a crashing blow to his head. Dante scrambled to his feet and stabbed at Lyn's stomach. A parry. A counter. A dodge. A swing. Hit. A thrust. A parry. A thrust. Hit. On and on it went, neither side willing to budge. Finally both sides backed off, their chests heaving, their bodies sore and aching, not willing to respond. This time, having learnt his lesson, Dante analyzed the situation.

Lyn was in just as bad shape as he was, but she seemed perfectly relaxed, and her breathing was normal, only slightly heavy. Dante on the other hand felt like his next step would be his last. Dante's strikes were fast, very fast, but often didn't land flush. Lyn was different though. She hit _hard_, harder than most people actually, and fast too. Like a wasp with a claymore. Dante stared at her, hoping to glean something to help him from her body language. Nothing yet. Nothing was given away as they both just stood stock still. They began circling each other as soon as they gained the energy to do so. Finally, unable to bear it anymore, Dante charged forward. Lyn did the same. They brought up their weapons, struck, and stopped, now with their backs facing each other.

The air was silent.

"That's enough," Vanir said. Dante could barely hear him as the world around him began to fade away. He dropped to one knee before the world tilted away from him to the side. His chest heaved from the exertion, screaming for oxygen. After about thirty seconds like this he got up and glanced behind him. Lyn sat down by a tree off to the side, the hatchling's head on her lap.

_Was it a draw? _Dante asked himself. _Or did she win? I couldn't tell..._

"Now, time to spar with me," Vanir said. Lyn simply stared at him with an empty expression.

"I'm... exhausted... Can't we do this later?" Lyn asked. Vanir simply picked up another stick and with a few words, exploded in a cloud of sawdust. As the dust cleared, it was shaped just like the other sticks.

"You can't be tired already can you?" Vanir asked surprised. "Do humans have that little endurance? You weren't even fighting for much more than three minutes."

"Three minutes?" Dante exclaimed in shock. "That felt like..." Dante stopped mid-sentence as he saw Lyn already standing up and ready to battle Vanir. Not willing to be outdone by a girl, he stepped to the side waiting for his turn.

Even so, as soon as he saw Lyn get defeated with only a few strokes, he wished he had stayed down. Battling Vanir was nothing like going against Lyn, and even when they would attack at the same time at Vanir's orders, they would still be defeated. That day ended with the both of them covered in bruises all over their bodies. Vanir had constantly been going on about how inferior humans now seemed when compared to elves, and Dante was beginning to think that he was right.

Finally, the sun began to set and they camped in the woods, having made nearly no progress at all from the start of the day thanks to all the training. Dante collapsed onto a thin mattress laid on top of some leaves, too exhausted to move. Dante heard a low rumbling noise coming from Draco and felt a wave of amusement coming from him. He turned his head to face his green and scaly friend.

_Draco... are you laughing at me? _Dante asked. In response, he got a moving image of a newborn puppy, smaller than the rest struggling to get milk from its mother as a larger one pushed it out of the way. Dante thought on the image for a second or two. _That small puppy is me... the bigger one is its sister, so must be Lyn... Vanir is the mother... you're trying to say I'm weak aren't you? Just go to sleep... _Dante rolled over, feeling more frustrated than before. How could he have failed to defeat Lyn? Draco, realizing his mistake, struggled to hide his sympathy. He then sent him another picture, this time of a nest with baby birds chirping for food. Just as before, there was one which was smaller than the rest and struggling to get its mothers attention.

_This hasn't changed Draco, _Dante said with annoyance. Draco huffed in impatience and continued to show him the thought. The mother pushed the chick out of the nest, the chick crying as it fell to the floor. It flapped furiously out of instinct, and at the last moment before impact, clumsily flew out of the dive and hovered in the air before slowly but roughly, plopping on the floor. It then flapped some more and in a matter of moments, was flying high above the heads of its chirping siblings and its mother. Dante smiled briefly. _So you're trying to say, that I haven't learnt how to fly yet? Draco, I'm not a bird!_

_Empty headed... You will grow stronger Dante, that's what I'm saying! _Draco almost roared at him, his body rumbling and vibrating in laughter. _Remember Dante? I was as small as the hatchling once. Now?_

_You're bigger than a horse, yes I get it! I know I'll get better at it, but so shall Lyn won't she?_

_Forget about Lyn, think about yourself. Now rest, so your wings may be strong tomorrow. _Dante smiled and rolled over, attempting to get to sleep.

. . .

Dante woke up to the roar of some unearthly creature of the likes he'd never heard before in his life. He bolted out of his rough blanket, his gun and dagger already in his hands. Draco was already up, staring into the sky and growling. Lyn was by Draco already, the purple hatchling by her side.

"Dante, what's going on?" she shouted above the roaring noise. The trees around them had their bows bent and were swaying under a massive amount of wind. The leaves swirled around them in whirlwinds. Vanir had drawn his sword and had his eyes closed in concentration.

"There is... there is nothing," Vanir said in surprise. "There are a few humans nearby, but none of them can wield magic. There is nothing that could be making this noise."

"Well obviously whatever it was disagrees with us!" Dante shouted. Slowly, he took a few steps forward, then sprinted through the forest, covering his eyes from the gale force winds, not even sure himself why he, the ultimate coward, was running ahead of everybody else. He stepped out of the woods into a small space with few branches to block the sky. Before he could take any more steps he stopped dead in his tracks. The sky above him went dark as a massive object blocked out the sun. Whatever it was it was partially hidden by the trees. He looked up in shock and fear, unable to truly understand just what he was seeing. Lyn caught up to him, puffing and out of breath, angry that he had left her behind.

"Dante... what do you think you're..."

"Shut up!" he snapped back. Lyn recoiled, noticing something was wrong. "Lyn... ships aren't meant to fly are they? **Are they?!**" Just then, Lyn determined where the roar was coming from and looked up. Her skin paled ghostly white. Vanir and the dragons burst through the trees before stopping and following Lyn's gaze.

Flying high above their heads was what appeared to be a battleship, floating ever so gently above them. It was hard to tell what it looked like when standing underneath it, looking up at the ship's keel. There were cannons lined up along the sides, that much they could tell, the dark shadows protruding from the sides gazing out at everything menacingly. Just above the ship's body, where its sales were supposed to be there was instead a massive brown and green coloured 'bubble' attached to the ship's body by ropes. At the bottom of the ship were a series of propellers, spinning rapidly and helping to keep the whole ship afloat. They were likely what was making the roar. It was like a constant drone or whine, and the things making the noise were blowing down with an alarming amount of force.

The floating ship bobbed along over the trees, drifting gently through the air as if sailing through invisible waves before finally slowing down and sinking lower into the valley. Their eyes followed it until it hovered near a hillside for a while. Just when they didn't think it could get much more strange, the hillside opened up and allowed the vessel inside before closing again. The group stared for a few seconds more before they finally decided it was time to breathe. Dante and Lyn just took to staring at the enormous hill that had opened up and swallowed the ship.

"That was..." Dante began. "A bloated float... I mean a floated boat... No, wait, you know what I mean!" the smaller dragon stepped backwards behind Draco's leg and covered its head with its paws in fright. It seemed more scared of the sound it was making than what it actually was, not knowing very much about ships in general. Draco on the other hand did and he didn't look comfortable at all.

_Dante... _unable to find the right words to express himself, Draco just sent him concern, as if asking what to do.

"I'll tell you what we _won't _do," Vanir said. "We will not interfere with that ship, or whatever it is. We will stay far away from it altogether. You four stay here, I'm going to go down and investigate."

"I didn't know that when you said 'we' it meant not you," Lyn said. "If you're going to go, we want to see what's down there as well!"

"No, we don't!" Dante shouted. "I don't think _anybody _wants to know what goes on inside a magical hill that contains floating ships inside it. Who knows what else is in there?" Vanir stared hard at Lyn in the eyes, his personality turning stone-cold.

"Girl, this is not a matter in which we discuss. I am the ambassador to the _entire elven race_. This is no longer a glamorous fairy-tale, this is a matter of the entire land itself. You cannot expect me to simply step aside and allow children to run amok in affairs that may determine the fate of all of our races. Now, you and your dragon shall stay here, and wait for me to return. Believe me, I wouldn't trust you to be alone with Dante unless it was absolutely necessary so stay here. If I find you following me, I may mistake you for a common bandit, in which case I will not hesitate to cut you down!" After saying that, Vanir unhitched Lyn's sword and scabbard from his belt and handed it to Lyn. "If you run into trouble, do not hesitate to use this." With that, Vanir walked away, leaving the group to wonder what exactly it was that Vanir intended to do.

. . .

Vanir stopped by the river. He said a few words in the ancient language and a sphere of water floated out of the water. Vanir moved the water and released the spell when it was hovering over a hollow grove in a rock, this also shaped with magic. The water splashed into the rock and rippled for a while, distorting Vanir's reflection. Vanir waited for a while for it to become still.

"Draumr Kopa," he said. Dream stare. He quickly added on a few other extensions and the reflection began to fade away. The image was replaced by a Cliffside, jagged rocks being all that there was below. Seated at the cliff edge was a young woman with long black hair reaching just above her waist. Next to her was what looked like an enormous and glittering leaf green gem, seemingly worth more than many a king's treasure on its own. The woman turned around at the disturbance. She stood up and walked towards the point of view for the image. From up close she could be seen to have the same pointed ears and angled face as Vanir, typical elvish traits. Her eyes were a dazzling emerald green, entrancing for any ordinary man. Perhaps Vanir too would have been one of those men, but he just couldn't see her that way. He couldn't see this woman as a priceless beauty, a princess whose hand must be won. He saw her with respect, as the leader of their nation, as one of the many who had brought the entire land out of the dark shadow it had been in all those years ago. He saw her with respect as a woman, as a friend and as a leader whom he was loyal to.

"Vanir, this had better be important," she said, her voice laced with the power of authority and slightly edged with anger. Yet even so she seemed tired and strained. "This is one of the few times I get to have any peace. You could've waited until it would be appropriate to report to me your progress."

"Forgive me, your majesty," Vanir said. "However, there is something amiss here."

"Then sort it," she said, her patience thinning. "I do not have the time to deal with the smallest of things." Vanir took a deep breath.

_This is not going very well, _he thought to himself. "Forgive me for wasting your time, but another one of those _things _have been spotted. It is nearby our current location. I shall send you the exact details later." At this, she became interested.

"Another one? Are you sure it is not a magical experiment? Something that the Magistrates are working on perhaps?"

"I assure you milady, this thing is not magical. There was no energy or signs of a spell coming from it at all. Even more alarming, it was as if there was no life coming from it at all. There had to be a crew on board, but I couldn't even feel the slightest presence of life from it. It was as if there was a void in space itself..."

"That's enough Vanir," she said, trying to collect her thoughts. "Vanir, I need you to investigate this phenomena. The subject was at the top of our recent meeting agendas, so most of the houses feel that these..." She paused for a bit, then for lack of a better word, continued. "These things are too dangerous to be left unchecked."

"And what do I do with the rider in the time being?" Vanir asked.

"She is still your priority. You must not take her with you in case things go wrong. Alert the other two who were with you to be on standby in case you are 'delayed' in some way. Once you've done that, investigate, find out who is responsible for these creations and report back to me." Vanir nodded his head and the image vanished. All that was left was a pool of water. Vanir said a few more words and the image of his comrades appeared again. He filled them in on the situation and once they got the message, he dispelled the image. He looked up at the hill where the ship had disappeared into. Instinctively, he gripped his sword handle. He mentally scanned the hill, and as he thought, there was no life coming from it at all despite all the greenery he could see growing. He took a deep breath, and proceeded towards the hill.


	8. A Will of Iron

**This is the Real Deal presents:**

**PIERCING HEAVENS!**

**Chapter 8: ****A Will of Iron**

The night sky was dotted with a sparse number of stars, all of them separate from the others, lonely as they each glittered down below. Dante lay on the grass, his arms behind his head, resting against Draco's warm heaving body. A massive wing partially covered Dante, leaving only the top of his torso exposed.

"Hey Draco, how come you can't breathe fire?" Dante asked verbally for once. Draco shrugged his large shoulders and tried to go back to sleep. "It's a serious question Draco!" Dante continued to press him. "You might be sick and unable to. We might have to get you treated." Lazily, Draco turned his massive head and stared at Dante with an annoyed look that said 'I know my body better than you do'.

_I will breathe fire when I'm well and ready, he said, talking finally._

"Yes, but what happens if you're never ready?" Dante asked. "If there's something wrong you should really tell me!" Draco growled. Dante was sure the growl meant 'what would a human know about dragons?'. "Ok, so I'm not exactly a dragon expert, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm still your rider. Well, maybe not your rider, but certainly your best friend!" Draco hummed in contentment, the sound reverberating through Dante's body. There was a comfortable silence for a while. Dante just wanted to revel in this silence, having never felt so at peace with the world for a long time, but he did so anyway

"What about a name?" Dante said finally. Draco sent back a questioning thought. "Vanir said that dragons pick their own names right? So, I think it's only fair that I allow you to choose one as well right?"

_But I like my name._

"What? Really? But it's not even a very noble name, it just means 'dragon'. Why do you like it?"

_Because you gave it to me._

"I... That's why you like it?" Dante asked surprised.

_Yes really. If it weren't for you, I may never have hatched. Thank you, for name, for a family, and for a life._ Dante felt tears well up behind his eyes but quickly blinked them away before Draco could see.

"N-no problem. And, umm... thanks as well, for trusting me so much... no, as in..." Draco let out a deep rumbling noise that could only be laughter.

_You see why I don't bother with words Dante? They only get in the way when you need them the most!_

"So why don't you ever muddle them up?" Dante asked now annoyed.

_Because, I know when to use words and when not to! Now forget these meaningless sounds and rest! _Resigned, Dante stayed silent from then onwards, instead mingling his mind together with Draco's as he drifted off to sleep. All the sounds around him began to fade away as he drifted off to sleep, encompassed within Draco's vast consciousness. So he didn't hear when something nearby him stirred. He didn't hear when there were footsteps that where increasing in volume, getting closer to himself and Draco. He didn't hear when the steady sound of boots on grass stopped. And he still didn't notice when the figure raised their hand next to him. The blow was swift, swinging down with lighting speed onto the back of Dante's head, knocking him rapidly out of his sleep as he rolled to the side to avoid another attack.

"Wake up you idiot!" Lyn cried out, just before in his panic, Dante could pull out his gun. Just then, Dante noticed the purple hatchling had its paw on Dante's hand, stopping him from getting a weapon.

"Oh, it's just you," Dante said as his hand was released. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Just know that if you were you failed, I wasn't scared in the slightest!" In his head though, he was more than a little unnerved. So fast! If they had been trying to kill me, I wouldn't have stood a chance! Even if I had avoided the first attack, the dragon was positioned ready to kill me! Where they thinking of battle strategies the whole day while we were simply lounging in the sun? Draco opened an eyelid lazily and with some effort stood up. Dante was sure he could see a smile on his face. He was in on it too!

"Now that you're awake," Lyn began. "We need to go and find Vanir, now!"

"He said he'd take a while, so let's just leave it at that and wait for him." Lyn shook her head.

"No, something is definitely wrong. We both know how powerful Vanir is, there is no way he would take so long unless something was wrong. If we keep on waiting for him, it will eventually be too late."

_She is right,_ Draco said. _Something is amiss._ Dante looked between Lyn and Draco then finally, resigned, he submitted.

"Oh alright. But if anything goes wrong don't come crying to me." Lyn smiled and began to walk away towards the hill. "Do you really think that I'd go to you when I'm in trouble?" She stopped for a moment and turned around to the spot where just a moment ago she had been sleeping. She pulled away a blanket and underneath it was her sword. She picked it up, leaving the blade inside its sheath. Dante stared at the blade in concern.

"That sword is a bit... thin," he said worried. "It might not be as small as a rapier, but if we meet somebody who is carrying around a claymore or a great sword..."

"I won't be stupid enough to try and parry one of their blows with this! But even if I did, I believe in my father. He made this weapon to be incredibly light, and yet sturdy enough to completely shatter a shade's defenses, magical or not! I won't lose with this blade. Dante looked at it skeptically. He had to admit, it had a sharper edge than anything he had ever seen, and there was something odd about it, but Lyn still didn't know how to use a sword anyway. Or at least he didn't think so. She latched it onto her belt and proceeded towards the hill, the purple dragon walking behind her. Dante and Draco looked at each other, then proceeded after her.

. . .

All of the sounds that normally filled the night air slowly began to fade away as they approached the hill, until eventually it was unnaturally quiet, the only sound being the soft padding of their feet on the forest floor. They stopped by the edge of the hill, underneath the point where the ship had entered. Draco was emitting a low and ominous growl. Dante sent him a questioning thought, but found to his surprise that he was completely repelled.

"What's wrong with Draco?" Lyn asked in concern.

"I don't know, he's not answering me." Dante clicked his fingers by Draco's head, and then quickly pulled them back again as they nearly got chomped off. Dante shrugged his shoulders and looked up at the hill with a frown. "Anyway, how do we even get in? We don't know how they managed to open the door, and it's pointless just staring up at it all day."

"Well let's think... Hey I think I've got something. You said that Vanir talked to you through your mind when you first met correct?"

"Yeah..."

"So that means you can mentally communicate with things other than Draco. Even me if you wanted to! So, know you know you can do that, apply the same principals to your surroundings, and try to find an opening in the hill with psychic powers!"

"You talk as if you've done this before..."

"Nope, never! Just a guess!" Dante sighed.

"If my head explodes, I know who to blame..." Dante closed his eyes and expanded his mind towards Draco. As he thought, Draco was still blocking him out. He took a deep breath, and released himself from the constraints of his mind. The effects were immediate, his mind losing substance as he spread out in a swirling mist of thoughts. Panicked, he tried to pull himself back again before his mind could blow away like the wind. He opened his eyes again with a start, Lyn looking at him with concern.

"Umm… Are you alright? I felt a kind of 'mental pulse' and you suddenly turned pale." Dante looked at her for a second, then back at the hill.

"Last time I'm ever listening to you!" he said. "But at least I found out what Vanir meant. As scary as that was, I could feel life from all the trees, animals, large bushes, life. But the hill had nothing coming from it."

"But from this grass we know that's wrong," Lyn said, crouching down and feeling it with her hands, to make sure it wasn't somehow fake.

"Yeah. If there's no life, scanning it won't make a difference. We were going about this wrong." Dante began walking forward slowly. "We should actually be looking for more obvious signs. Patches of loose dirt, small indents in the hill, different coloured grow-" Dante suddenly plummeted through where the floor was meant to be, falling in a mess of arms and legs. The world around him flew up to the sky before disappearing before dull grey walls. He hit the bottom before he had time to scream, the fall emptying his lungs of air. He got up unsteadily on his feet, and then collapsed again. Lyn landed softly next to him.

"Maybe some trapdoors," she said, barely holding back a snigger.

"Ha ha. You better also watch out for annoyed pirates with guns." Dante looked around him. He was standing in a narrow hallway with bare dull walls and pretty much nothing to stand out. There was a kind of low buzzing noise seemingly coming from all around them and the air seemed to have been unnaturally purged of all natural smells, leaving it smelling like nothing at all save for oil and tar. A series of dim blue lamps hung from the ceiling, but unlike a flame, these ones did not waver the way a candle would. Dante looked up at the hole he fell through. Some light was shining down the hole at them, and Draco and the purple dragon were staring down the hole at them.

"I wonder what this hole is for though," Dante said taking a step back from the hole as both dragons jumped down it. "It's not for light, as it was covered just a moment ago."

"Does it matter?" Lyn asked. "Our priority is finding Vanir. Don't get side tracked." They proceeded along the corridor, down a slight slope downwards, but despite what Lyn said, Dante still couldn't help but keep thinking about that hole. Finally he looked up again, and there was yet another rectangular hole, this one blocked off so that all it looked like was a dark mass. Sure enough, every fifty or so metres there would be another one, each not much wider than Dante's arms once outstretches, but long enough to fit Draco's wingspan.

"Lyn, these holes are important. What are they?"

"Do you expect me to know?" she asked, the annoyance evident in her voice. "Honestly Dante, have you even done one useful thing for us? I don't even know why I tolerate you."

"Hey, I _did _try to protect your village from the Shade!"

"And you failed at it. Vanir saved us. You really are useless." Dante said nothing. Suddenly, Lyn stopped. Dante stopped himself from bumping into her at the last second. She put up her hand for silence. The corridor had finished, leading into a huge room, likely in the centre of the hill or just beneath it. They stood on an iron criss-crossing platform with a guardrail, and a good twenty feet below were several people all busy at work, carrying boxes around and handling complicated equipment that Dante was sure didn't even exist. There were several other platforms just like the one Dante was at, all of them with large steal boxes at the ends of them with lights flashing on them. None of them had people on them though. In the very centre of the room was the ship they had seen. The balloons lifting them had been removed now and the actual ship itself was all there was. There were crates of gunpowder being pushed onto the ship by two regular looking men wearing overalls with tools in the front pockets. The two were too far away to hear, but they seemed to be arguing about something. A smaller man ran up behind them with a huge grin on his face, talking loud enough for even Dante to hear.

"This ships a real beauty, that she is. I've never seen anything like her! And what's best of all, we made her ourselves! Too bad she's probably going to get blown up, headquarters doesn't seem to understand that they're not designed for combat! Using explosives near them would be catastrophic!" The others began to speak and the conversation became too silent.

_Draco, I can't hear them. What're they saying? _Dante asked.

_They are saying that the ship is going through a weight testing phase. They were probably flying it earlier to see if it could operate with cargo. Now they want to get it to fire._

_Fire? Fire at who?_

_Not who, what. They're only shooting hills and rocks and other things of the sort. I suppose that the testing grounds will be damaged but no humans will be harmed._

_That's a relief. I was afraid Lyn would force us to stop them if they were attacking people. Although I admit, perhaps a distraction from Lyn would make it easy for me to rob them blind…_

_Dante, we are NOT petty criminals._

_You aren't, I am! But you're right I guess. Lyn wouldn't approve either. _This time, Dante directed his thoughts at Lyn, to Lyn's surprise. _Vanir isn't here, and we can't get down there without being spotted. For some reason, I don't think it would be a good idea if they knew we were here._

_But we can't leave without Vanir either. We have to find some way down there. Dante, you're the decoy again, just like that time getting Draco's egg._

_Do they look pirates who we can defeat so easily? Don't do anything rash! I'm the one who's always telling you to be careful!_

_But I'm strong, and you're… _Lyn didn't get to finish as a gust of wind blew past them, nearly blowing them over the rails. The arguing workers below looked up and within the next second they had collapsed. The box dropped to the ground and split, the gunpowder spilling across the floor. The workers nearest them turned towards them. One of them walked over to them and shook the smaller one trying to wake him. He shouted out, and then froze before collapsing on the floor, his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Men armed with swords and crossbows entered the room, most likely hardened mercenaries from the look of them. Scores of men all positioned themselves around the ship while any other possible exits were blocked. Five more men dropped down on the floor, foaming from the mouth. A man with a large scar on his face turned towards a large crate. He pulled out a small ball and tossed it towards them. The ball somehow stopped in in mid-air and large bolts of static electricity crackled all over in the air. Like a mirage being lifted, a haze seemed to rise from the air and standing there was Vanir, clutching his chest. A hailstorm of crossbow bolts assailed him, all of them seemingly bouncing off of him. Vanir pointed his palms at the nearest group of crossbowmen and with a shout, hurled half of them ten feet through the air magically. He drew his sword and with inhuman speed, sprinted towards the ship. He jumped twenty feet into the air and with a mighty swing edged with magic, cleaved the entire body of the ship in half, his blade engulfed in flames. An explosion filled the room, almost blinding Dante and Lyn. Vanir didn't seem to notice as he cleaved through mercenaries. The man with a scar didn't either.

The man ran towards Vanir and swung down towards Vanirs head. Vani merely stepped to the side and swung his blade at his neck. The man just barely parried the blow and struck to Vanir's left. A feint. He changed the blade's course and went towards Vanir's legs. Vanir leaped over it, covering up his stumble, and thrust his shoulder into the man's gut. While the man was doubled over he crushed the back of his skull with his elbow, sending him crashing to the ground. As soon as he fell, another barrage of crossbows attacked him, somehow managing to graze his arm, blood splattering on the floor. Before more could come, he leaped up to the platform where Dante and Lyn were.

"I told you not to follow me," Vanir shouted over the explosions of the ship. Dante peeked around Vanir and spied another mercenary aiming a crossbow bolt at Vanir's back.

"Wait a second…" Dante pushed Vanir to the side just before the bullet could be fired. The bolt whizzed right past Vanir's shoulder, almost hitting Dante as well. Draco leaped over the rails with a roar, landing on top of a small group of mercenaries. He swung his tail like a mace, crushing ribs and breaking bones with each hit, toppling wave upon wave of mercenaries. A bolt embedded itself deep in his elbow, forcing Draco to roar out in pain. Dante clutched his arm as he felt a sharp pain from the impact, almost as if he had been shot instead. Dante aimed his gun at the crossbow troops below, removing five of them in one shot, and as always, almost removing his own arm. Lyn clutched the guardrails, resisting the urge to jump down and slice them apart as she even knew that she would not survive the fall. Vanir stood up and began singing in a foreign language.

"What're you doing?" Dante asked in surprise. The notes rung deep within Dante himself, Vanir's lament seeming to tear at the fabric of the air itself with some unearthly power, his eyes closed in concentration.

"He must be speaking in the ancient language," Lyn said.

"So he's forming a spell?" In answer to his question, the ground underneath the ship began shaking in an earth tremor, lava seemingly erupting from chasms opening beneath it. The ship began sinking into the ground, the fire on it spreading even further. The strange boxes began sparking dangerously before outright exploding. Workers and builders began flooding out of the room in a panic. Dante briefly saw from the corner of his eye a worker in a white coat and a young mercenary with a great sword standing by one of the boxes on a platform nearby.

"So much work, so much research… This destruction is savage, and only further increases our cause. This proves just how great the gap is between us. What we are doing can only be right!"

"Perhaps you are right," the mercenary said, his voice calm and relaxed, soothing to listen to, hypnotic. "Even so, there's no telling what might go wrong."

"Bah! The words of a coward! And now this… this elf will have access to all of our technology is in his conservative nature he decides to spare the hangar. We cannot leave even the ashes intact…" Dante's eyes widened in fear as he heard that.

"Lyn! They're going to…"

"I know, I heard!" The mercenary looked in their direction and drew his sword. He took a few steps backwards and ran towards their platform, leaping across it. Everyone scattered just before he could land, denting the steel floor beneath them. Lyn drew her sword and swung it at his head. With experience well beyond his years, he deflected the blow and kicked Lyn backwards, almost causing her to drop he sword. Dante raised his gun to his face. He grabbed the gun directly, directing the bullets elsewhere. Panicking, Lyn swung her blade down to his head. He stepped to the side, placing Dante there instead. The sword embedded itself in Dante's shoulder, the pain burning in the open wound. Panicked, Dante pointed his gun in the man's stomach and fired, blasting him off of the platform along with the sword, through the guard rails. He fell, landing in some crates, twitching a few times before laying still. Draco flew up to them, cuts lining the parts of his body that were unprotected. As soon as he landed, enormous explosions filled the room.

"We must go before… Ah!" A cloud of red exploded on her shoulder, another on leg. She tottered over backwards and fell through the gap in the rails. Without even thinking, Dante leaped forward and grabbed Lyn by the arm, just stopping her from the fall. Without hesitation, he yanked her back up with strength he didn't possess. As he looked back, he saw more mercenaries, them holding rifles with pikes attached. Dante grabbed Lyn's arm and placed it over his shoulder. Lyn's muscles tensed up merely from the contact.

"Live through the pain and trust me for once. I'm getting you out of here." A massive explosive fireball began to expand from the ship, roiling and eating away at everyone and everything in sight. Dante, half dragging and half supporting Lyn began sprinting back up the corridor, the fireball catching up to him, the heat burning the hairs at the back of his neck. Dante looked backwards to see Draco lumbering on behind and Vanir carrying the hatchling. The fireball was chasing them still, a huge shoot of fire erupting up one of those rectangular holes. _So that's what those holes are for… When the hangar is self-destructing, to divert the pent up energy. But why divert it? _Dante didn't get to answer himself as Vanir suddenly put on an extreme burst of speed. He picked up both Dante and Lyn effortlessly in each arm, the hatchling in the same arm as Lyn. The walls around them blurred from the speed, Vanir's legs becoming blurs as well from the motion. The blood all began to rush to Dante's head as he slowly began to lose consciousness. Vanir jumped, his feet landing heavily against the wall, jarring Dante's wounded shoulder. With nearly no pause, Vanir continued, running straight up the vertical wall of the chute. Draco had also jumped up and had begun flying, rising on the updraft from the fireball. The flames tinged the chute red and were licking Vanir's back while Draco had been almost completely engulfed by them.

Dante's heart was pounding like horses hooves galloping across a battlefield. He didn't even have the courage to look back at the fire beneath him. He stared at Lyn, her eyes shut tight, her arms wrapped around Dante in fear.

_I don't want to die yet Dante, _she said to him mentally, the waves of fear threatening to drown out his own. But layered below that, was a tiny sense of comfort. Dante knew not what from. _I don't want to die. Please, protect me… _Her mind faded as she passed out and Dante was getting close to it as well, the oxygen being sucked from the air by the flames. Dante looked up and the way was blocked by the earth covering the hill. Dante looked at Lyn one last time and, his fear now completely gone after feeling her own terror, looked up at the earth ceiling again. He summoned all of the power he had within himself.

_Dante, let me provide you with the strength you need! _Draco said, roaring at the same time. Dante felt an enormous surge of power well up inside of him, all of it coming from Draco. With all of the power inside him he yelled;

"_**Jierda!" **_The earth above them exploded outward, dirt rising in the air as if from the sheer force of his words. Vanir leaped out of the hole, Draco following behind, his scales charred. The fireball erupted behind them, a huge beam of fire before then expanding in a mushroom cloud of fire. Dante felt all of the power inside him drain away, his very life slipping from him. Draco flapped furiously in the sky before spiralling down towards the earth. Dante looked back down, his vision blurring, and it felt almost as if Vanir was flying now. All along the hill fire was erupting out of the floor, the hill looking like a blazing porcupine, becoming engulfed in smoke. The land itself began shifting, collapsing slowly within itself, dispersing as if it were sand spreading through water. _So the holes were to collapse it, destroying everything inside completely…_ Dante's mouth twitched in a smile before the world went black.

. . .

Dante's eyes opened slowly to see the first thing in his face was Lyn's face, peaceful in her sleep. Dante leaped backwards in shock, shifting through his memories hoping he didn't get drunk and do something uncalled for. The events came flashing to his mind and he exhaled a breath. He _wasn't _drunk.

_Still, why was she grabbing onto my neck so tightly? _Dante shrugged and looked around. It looked like it was late in the afternoon. Vanir was seated by a log, Draco curled up in a ball by his back. Vanir looked at him, his eyes slightly sunken in from exhaustion.

"You are awake. Glad to see that you are still alive. Draco was worried about you."

"Vanir, what did I do?" Dante asked. There were millions of questions on Dante's mind but he supressed them all. He just wanted to know that.

"You used magic. Or rather, Draco used magic through you. I don't think I need to explain to you what magic is, but all dragon riders have the ability to use magic through the pact they share with the dragon race. Dragons can always use dragons, but have no control over it and use it through impulse and emotion. While the bond between you and Draco is strong, it isn't a dragon-rider bond, therefore you shouldn't be able to use magic unless you naturally have the potential. I don't know whether you do have it or not, but yesterday Draco felt your emotions and channelled all of his power into you. I don't know how he did that and allowed you to use magic like your own. I don't even know how you survived so much power, but then again, we understand little about dragons."

"So my emotions let me do that?"

"You could say that, yes." We may have prevented the destruction of property and wildlife, so feel content. However, you did disobey my direct orders, regardless of whether or not you saved my life, and in the end I still expended all of my power just to save you, so as soon as Lyn wakes up it shall be endless marching until Draco and the other dragon can fly." Dante didn't even have the energy to argue with him and collapsed on the floor. Vanir turned away from him into the forest. "I'm going to find some fruit, wait here." Vanir disappeared into the forest, leaving Dante alone with Draco and the other dragon asleep. Lyn stirred in her sleep. Dante turned around just in time to see her waking up, her hair a complete mess. Dante didn't bother disguise a chuckle.

"Shut up you idiot." Lyn stood up slowly and stretched. She looked in the direction of the hill. The whole area had been completely flattened, the ship, the technology, and likely most of the people inside as well. All that was left was a huge charred plain, small weeds already starting to grow. Within a few months, the scars of the battle wouldn't even be left. Lyn looked at Dante now. "I suppose I should say… I'm sorry." That caught Dante off guard. He was expecting another comment about him being useless. "I'm sorry I called you useless. You saved my life, _again_. I was… I was terrified there. Normally I'm telling you to be more brave, and yet there I… I was strong enough to run on my own there. The bullet only scraped my leg. I could've still run on my own, but I was too scared to move. In the face of death, I couldn't act like the hero I'm supposed to be. I couldn't even hold my sword properly. You were the one who was brave here. I'm sorry for doubting you, and I'm sorry for not trusting you…" Dante didn't even have the heart to say a witty comment. She looked broken, realising for the first time what battle truly was like.

_She can't take pressure… _Dante looked her straight in the eyes.

"Lyn, you don't realise what you're just said do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said it yourself, that you were terrified, right? You didn't see it did you? Lyn, you were ready to jump down and rip them apart to save Draco with nothing but a sword. I couldn't even help him with my gun! Despite all of your fear, you attacked that lead mercenary yourself, on you own. I would never have done that! I fight through such conditions because I have _lived _through them. Despite being weak, I'm experienced so I'm used to it. I fear death but he's already an old acquaintance to me! But you, you've never been through such hell before. You were terrified, and yet through your fear you still chose to try and protect us instead of turning tail and running like I was about to. Through your fear, you know true courage! Now wipe your tears off of your face and smile, I hate seeing you look like this." Lyn smiled and blinked away the tears that were welling up.

"Honestly, I don't understand you at all. Normally I'm the wise one and yet you're always the one cheering me up and sounding smart. Don't think this means I like you at all though. I just trust you a bit more. I'm still the only one allowed to kill you so don't die now after all of this!"

Vanir returned just then, an assortment of fruit in his arms.

"We're leaving," he stated, not even making it a question. "There may be no complaints. Seeing as you seem to think you're stronger than you actually are, disobeying my orders, you will be marching at my pace. I am also weakened, but even so my elven stamina will drive you hard, _very _hard." Dante and Lyn both sighed and together, as soon as they woke up Draco, they advanced northward, the incident in the Spine to be forgotten.


End file.
